Tristan's New Pet
by Nanashio
Summary: Fantasy, too, I think. Rated for Kaiba's mild language, and strange way of thinking. Kaiba's not himself, and Tristan gets a new pet: a kitten with deep blue eyes, and rustcolored fur.[Complete.]
1. His Lousy Day

Disclaimer: (_Nanaki rubs her hands together_) ehehehehehehehe! Yu-Gi-Oh! and its characters don't belong to me, or Nana-chan! or Ya-kun!

Yasuo: ... Ya-kun?

Nanashi: your warnings, Yasuo...

Yasuo: huh? oh yeah...

Warnings: shounen-ai... maybe too much cuteness... who knows... (_shrugs_) and Kaiba's mild cursing, too...

Nanaki: wai! I'm gonna love this! (_squeals, and glomps Ya-kun_)

Yasuo: ack!

Nanashi: (_grins_) alright... it starts...

* * *

"Not my day... not my day... not my day..." Seto Kaiba was growling, as he stormed down the steps of Domino High School. Passing by his limo, where his driver was waiting for him, the door opened.

"Uh, Mr. Kaiba?" his driver called, rather hesitantly. His employer didn't seem happy.

"No thanks... go pick up Mokuba... I'll walk..." said Kaiba, icily.

"But, Mr. Kaiba..."

Kaiba's deep blue eyes flashed, in irritation. "Get going, now...!" he snarled.

The driver anime sweatdropped. Then nodded, as he hastily climbed back in the car, tires peeling at the concrete, in the fast retreat to Mokuba's school.

Kaiba sighed, running his hand through his rusty-colored hair. Right now he needed to vent, and the last thing he wanted was to vent around Mokuba. So, turning on his heel, he started off the schoolgrounds, growling to himself.

Life just wasn't easy on him. Right now his corporation was missing one hundred thousand dollars. Just plain missing. Which was a huge pain for someone in the finance office. Unless one of them just made a mistake while checking the balance. He could only hope. Then there was a call on his cellphone in class, telling Kaiba that he was late for a meeting that was on at 2:00pm. Of course Kaiba chewed out his secretary.

School hours and work hours were two different things, in Kaiba's opinion. And if his secretary was dumb enough to set a meeting, while Kaiba was in class, then Kaiba had to teach her that he didn't work that way.

People had to do things on _his_ time, not theirs.

After a while, Kaiba was starting to calm down. Taking a long calming breath, he felt more at ease. Then his cell started to chime insistantly, quickly disrupting his moment of peace. Scowling, Kaiba took out the cell, turning it on, and held it to his ear.

"Kaiba," he muttered.

"Big brother, sorry to bother you..."

Kaiba blinked, then smiled faintly. Mokuba. "You're no bother, little brother... what's up?"

"Heh... see, he's not in a bad mood..." Mokuba was telling someone.

Kaiba's narrowed his eyes, feeling a twinge of annoyance. The driver had apparently complained about him to Mokuba. He'd have to fix that.

"What do you need, Mokuba?" Kaiba asked.

"I need your help... I'm supposed to be writing an essay on dinosaurs... simple, isn't it?"

"Kind of... triassic, jurassic, or cretacious?"

"... Triassic, I think.."

"Hm... so, the museum then?"

"You don't mind?"

Kaiba sighed softly; his tension and stress _was_ dropping. The CEO smiled faintly, silently thanking Mokuba's easy-going cheerfulness, since it always made him feel better. "No, I don't mind, little brother.."

"Alright, cool... when?" Mokuba asked, eagerly.

"Whenever you're ready..."

"Alright... see you at home, first..."

"Alright..."

"Bye."

"Yeah..." then Kaiba hung up, placing the cell back in his pocket, and continued to walk. No longer using his brisk, stressed-out stride, but more of a leisurely pace. He looked up at the trees, the leaves rustled slightly due to the warm breeze. The clear blue skies and the sweet smell of grass and flowers made one thing clear.

It got really nice around here... When he wasn't stressed.

**oooXXXooo**

Once at home, walking through the foyer, towards the livingroom, Kaiba started his small routine. It was a little strange, but it was like a habit. One that the redhead couldn't exactly break. Upon entering the livingroom, he would remove his jacket and toss it on the couch, then sit his laptop and cellphone(turned off) on the sidetable, as he headed for the kitchen.

Regardless of what many thought, Kaiba did enjoy snacking. But at the moment, he had to put off a decent snack, and merely looked in the fridge for something to drink. Bottled water, juice, soda. Kaiba raised an eyebrow, as he grabbed a carton of soymilk.

Where'd that come from?

Shrugging, Kaiba put it back, and looked at the clock.

Strange, Mokuba must have gotten held up someplace. Then the phone hanging on the wall rang. Brow furrowed, Kaiba walked up to it, and answered. "Hello?"

"Mr. Kaiba... sorry to bother you at home..."

His secretary.

Kaiba growled, very softly. A sound he made when his patience was pushing its limits. And his secretary knew it, apparently. And heard him as well.

"I'm very sorry..." she blurted out, quickly. "But, your staff would like to meet with you this afternoon..."

Kaiba glanced at the clock again. "It's nearly 5:00..." he said, trying to keep his voice calm.

"That's what I told them, sir... but they keep insisting..."

Kaiba frowned, "is this about that damn raise they all want?" he asked, even though he considered the question rhetorical.

"More or less, sir."

The redhead ran his hand through his hair, closing his eyes, inhaling deeply, as he slowly counted to ten. Once he reached ten, he released his breath in a long weary sigh.

"... I told you to tell them that I have other priorities, and that I would meet with them, next thursday," he said, through gritted teeth.

"I did, sir... but they won't listen..." At least she sounded apologetic.

Kaiba dropped his head back as he rubbed his neck with his free hand, his muscles were beginning to grow tense again, a sure sign that his stress was returning, full-force.Was a break too much to ask for?

"Sir...?" she questioned, hesitantly.

"I want you to quote me on this, Greta..." said Kaiba, in a cold deliberate tone.

"Yes, sir?"

"Anyone who wants to keep their jobs will go back to their offices.. anyone who has a problem with the way I'm running _my_ corporation, wait in the conference room... I'll be there in ten minutes."

"Um, yessir."

Without another word, Kaiba hung up, and strided for the front door, grabbing his cellphone, and jacket. "Tell Mokuba I had some morons to deal with, back at KaibaCorp..." Kaiba told a maid, "I'll be back in half an hour."

She nodded quickly, "yessir..."

Ten minutes to get there, ten minutes to fire some idiots, then ten to get back. Rather simple, Kaiba thought.

But then again, the CEO _did_ consider himself a lenient businessman. So he'd have to hear out their complaints, and see what he could do to improve things.

But one idiot at work was turning Kaiba's once loyal employees against him.

Kaiba was actually more than fair with them, giving them what they wanted. Getting the best technology for them to work with; even hi-tech equipment for them to play with, rather than 'work with', they had plenty of freedom. And he was generous with wages. What more did they want? Well, money obviously.

It was unbelievable. There used to be no complaints, until the idiot arrived. Kaiba didn't learn his name, he didn't have the need to. All he knew was that he was a pain in the ass, and the cause of Kaiba's most recent business problems.

Then his cell started to chime again. Kaiba scowled, as he turned it on, and held it to his ear. "What?"

"Mr. Kaiba... there's only three people wanting to meet with you, now... um, I think I can send them away, until thursday..."

"... Do they look nervous, Greta?"

"Um, pretty much, sir..."

Kaiba smirked, "good."

"Er, except for Nelson, sir."

"Nelson?" Kaiba frowned, "is that the idiot who's starting things?"

"To be blunt, sir? Yes... he also has a list of demands to improve the work place... er, and if you don't read through it, he's threatening to start a strike..."

The young CEO's eyes widened. A strike? Someone wanted to start a strike? In his corporation? For no reason at all? No one threatened Seto Kaiba! Especially with his corporation!

Well, not with Mokuba, either. But that wasn't the issue here.

Kaiba couldn't stand this, anymore. Grimacing, he hung up, lowering his head. This one week was proving to be sheer hell. He was clutching his cell in a fast-tightening grip; how tempted he was to throw it against the sidewalk just to watch it break into pieces. Ugh, the hell with it, he thought. He threw the cell down against the concrete, hard and violently, causing it to shatter. Then Kaiba began shouting some very explicit words_.("I can't believe this! Those f_xxx_in idiotic s_xxx-_for-brains morons! May they all burn in hell! The f_xxx_ers have no right to pull this s_xxx_ with me! I'm gonna kill that son of a b_xxxx)(**1**)

Once through venting, Kaiba sat on the curb, running his hands through his hair, as he tried to calm back down.

He was only 17! 17, for Pete's sake! And he had to go through all this? It wasn't this difficult before! But now..? He had school, _and_ the sudden build-up of work, which was almost overwhelming to deal with. And he also had his little brother to take care of, to make time for. Time that wasn't coming easily.

".. Just once, I'd like to see what it's like not to worry about things," Kaiba muttered to himself.

"Wish granted, little man."

Kaiba looked up at some kid. Well, about 16, more or less. The redhead scowled. Even if he was in the teens himself, Kaiba still considered any 'normal teenager' a kid.

"What'd you call me?" he asked, darkly.

"Little man... you just wanna relax, right? Enjoy the simple pleasures of life?" the kid asked, with a wide smile.

Kaiba frowned, as he stood back up, now towering over the kid. "What the hell are you talking about?" he demanded.

Chuckling quietly, the kid then held up his finger, as he spoke. "In my opinion, the neko has the most simplest life... and with the right person to care for it, the neko is also the luckiest."

The redhead scowled, "you're a lunatic, aren't you?" he asked, dryly.

"Not that I know of..." Then the kid, reached in his jacket, and pulled out a stick. Kaiba's frown deepened, and as the kid raised it, he took an instinctive step back. Then the younger-looking boy murmured some incoherent words. And Kaiba was suddenly hit with a bright flash.

* * *

(**1**) O.o;; yup... had to specify it, since Kaiba's not one to just shout random curses, ne?

Nanaki: WHEEEEEEEEEEEEE! (_squeals and glomps Ya-kun_) AIN'T IT JUST SO 'WAI!"?

Yasuo: (_tries to pull free_) stop that!

Nanashi: heh...


	2. Finding Kaiba

Disclaimer: everything in this fic, the characters, other things mentioned, are NOT mine, or Nana-chan's... or Ya-kun's...

Nanashi: (_huggles her neko-Kaiba plushie_) except this... thanks again, Hyatt Insomnia! (_huggles the plushie somemore_)

Yasuo: (_anime sweatdrops_) er, right...

Warnings: shounen-ai, and maybe some over-cuteness... by the way, it's Tristan/Kaiba, alright? (_nods_) alright... and watch out for Kaiba's little bit of cursing, too...

Nanaki: WAI!

Yasuo: yeesh... (_anime sweatdrops, and gets out of glomping distance from Nanaki_)

Nanaki: hey!

Nanashi: (_snickers_) oh yeah... and I fix, I fix... thank you for the info Chibi Honda Chan, and Honda Katsuya (_bows in thanks_)

* * *

Kaiba winced, as a strange tingling sensation ran through him. Like he was getting his blood circulating again. Then he noticed he was laying on the ground. So he slowly, and groggily, lifted his head, looking ready to kill that damned kid.

Unfortunately, the redhaired teen's bloodlust wouldn't be satisfied. The kid was gone. He looked around, in confusion. Where'd that kid go? And why did he suddenly feel so small?

Kaiba looked at himself, seeing a furry rust-colored body, where his body was _supposed_ to be. The CEO was suddenly hit with a sense of dread, as he slowly pulled his upper body up, to try and sit up. Only he felt his legs take a strange position, leaving him sitting in a very peculiar way. The dread was growing.

Swallowing, he looked down, seeing two furry paws. Apparently his, the same rusty red fur. Then he looked down at his left side, another paw at the end of his newly acquired left hind leg. Slowly, he turned his head to look down his right side, only to see another rusty red paw at the end of his right hind leg.

Then Kaiba felt something curl around his leg. Something warm, furry, and... disturbingly flexible. Gah, it didn't feel normal!

Kaiba jumped to his feet, a sharp yowl escaping his mouth. As he spun around hastily, eyes darting wildly back and forth. Then he anime sweatdropped.

What the hell was that sound? Did he actually _say_ that?

Confused, he sat back down. Only to have that same freaky furry thing wrap around him. Willing himself to sit still and not panic _again_, Kaiba looked down, the furry thing curled around his leg was huge, and puffy. Kaiba stared at it, stunned. Alright, so he had a tail now too. And it scared him. And since he was scared, it made his fur stand on end, resulting in the puffy tail.

Embarrassment set in, when he realized he just jumped around, howling like a fool, because of his newly acquired _tail_. Kaiba reluctantly looked around, hoping no one saw that.

He anime sweatdropped. One witness.

A huge slobbering dog. With really sharp teeth, by the looks of it. Whether it was Kaiba's instinct, or his new body's instinct, he turned tail, and ran as fast as his four paws could carry him.

With good reason. The dog took chase, growling and barking.

Kaiba suddenly felt terrified, so he pushed himself to run faster. Why the hell did that damn kid turn him into a _kitten_!..?

**oooXXXooo**

Tristan whistled cheerfully, as he headed home. Ah, beating Joey at Tekken4 really made his day, sometimes. Good duelist or not, Joey was lousy at videogames.

Hearing some barking, Tristan paused and looked across the street.

Blankey? Tristan frowned, Blankey somehow always managed to get out of the yard.

"Hey, Blankey?" he called. The dog ignored him. Tristan grimaced, and started after his dog. Something had Blankey a little too riled for his liking. Probably chasing a cat, like always, Tristan thought, with a roll of his eyes.

After a short sharp whistle, that Blankey failed to hear, Tristan uttered an annoyed, "dogs..." to himself. Then, "Blankey... hey, c' mere...!" he called, picking up his pace to catch up to her.

**oooXXXooo**

"Get away from me, you stupid mongrel!" Kaiba thought, turning a sharp corner. Only to run into some trashcans. Unable to think of a better idea, he hastily scrambled between the trashcans, in attempts of hiding.

But the dog was relentless in its pursuit, and tried to barge into the small red kitten's makeshift fortress, knocking all the cans over. Kaiba anime sweatdropped, and turned to try and run again, only to tumble over a pile of trash. While trying to wade through the garbage, Kaiba didn't get far, as he suddenly fell over. He cringed, seeing that three of his paws were tangled in the string of an old yo-yo that was thrown away.

"Damnit!" Kaiba began to struggle. He was kicking his paws, in hopes of getting free. Then his eyes widened. That dog. It practically sauntered up to him. As if it knew it won. It almost appeared victorious, as it towered over him, tongue lolled out, panting with triumph.

Kaiba swallowed, awaiting the worstcase scenario, as he closed his eyes.

"Hey, Blankey... what's the matter with you?" a slightly familair voice asked. "How'd you get out, this time?"

**oooXXXooo**

Tristan grabbed hold of Blankey's collar, lightly pulling her back. Then he noticed a rust-colored kitten laying on the ground, tangled up in some string. "Oh... that's what you were after..." he said quietly, raising an eyebrow.

Blankey barked, as if proud of her catch.

Tristan patted Blankey on the head, smiling. "You should start picking on animals your own size, Blankey... have I taught you nothing?" he mock-scolded. Then he lowered himself to one knee. "Hey, little guy... you okay?" he said, gently.

The kitten slowly looked up at him. Tristan blinked at the deep blue eyes the cat had. Wow, that was... pretty, actually.

And oddly enough the kitten was eyeing him suspiciously. And even a little defiantly. Tristan gently reached out for the kitten, only to smile in some amusement, as he tried to squirm away.

"Hey... relax... I'm not gonna hurt you..." Tristan assured, softly.

**oooXXXooo**

"Touch me, Taylor, I'll make you regret it!" Kaiba thought, as he tried to back up. Damn, the yo-yo string was getting tighter. This wasn't normal. CEOs did not wiggle like this!

Two large warm hands gently grabbed him, then Kaiba found himself cradled in Tristan's right arm, against his chest. So the CEO started struggling with a little more effort. Then, getting a little desperate, Kaiba bit Tristan's hand.

"Put me down, now!" he commanded, glaring up at the brunette. Though it was becoming obvious that Kaiba couldn't speak, he had to try.

Tristan winced slightly at the tiny, yet sharp, fangs in his hand. But he tried to ignore it, as he started removing the string. "Fiesty little guy, aren't you?" he asked, already sounding affectionate.

Kaiba loosened his jaws' hold a bit, staring up at Tristan, as the brunette was patiently undoing the knots.

"Man... how'd you do this?" he murmured, almost to himself. He eyed Kaiba, "sorry if Blankey scared you... she's harmless... just a playful mutt, that's all..."

"He talks to animals... unbelievable..." Kaiba thought, distastefully. But then again, his voice was pretty nice to listen to... almost comforting...

"There we go..." Tristan said, as he stood up, still holding Kaiba to his chest. Then, with his free arm, he picked up the trashcans again, and tossed the yo-yo back where it came from. Kaiba couldn't help but feel a sense of comfort, seeing Tristan smile at him so warmly.

Then the mongrel started barking. Kaiba glared down at her, "what's wrong, mutt...? Jealous...?" he thought, smugly. Then he anime sweatdropped, feeling his face heat up. Where'd that come from?

Tristan stroked Kaiba's chin gently. "No collar... I'm guessing you have no owner..." he commented. Then he looked around, "but then again... I might be wrong..."

Kaiba blinked, why was he petting his chin..? Hey... it felt kinda nice... Kaiba closed his eyes. And started to purr. The CEO-turned-kitten felt a rush of discomfort. It felt nice, but the way things seemed didn't strike him as... appropriate.

Which abruptly stopped his purring. Purring while getting unwanted physical contact wasn't Kaiba's style. So, he bit Tristan's hand again.

Tristan looked down at him, confused. "What's with you?"

Kaiba anime sweatdropped. Doesn't work so well the second time around, does it?

Tristan smiled, raising the kitten a bit, to look him in the eye. "You either bite because you're scared... or you bite because you like me... right?" he asked, playfully.

Kaiba blushed, "what?" he thought in alarm.

Tristan held Kaiba out to Blankey, "what do you think, Blankey...? Should we take him home with us?"

Kaiba stared hard at the dog, as she barked cheerfully. "I'll kill your dog if it touches me..." he thought, while giving Tristan a look.

"Blankey likes you... so... I guess I have a new pet..."

"I'm no one's pet!" Kaiba hissed. Tristan blinked.

"What...? You don't wanna be my pet?"

"Not like this..." Kaiba thought, almost snootily. Then he felt himself blush again. Where'd that come from? Then Kaiba suddenly had a big, pink slobbery tongue lick him!

Kaiba anime sweatdropped, his entire backside was soaked with dog slobber. His fur was no longer smoothed down, it was sticking up, and damn it felt uncomfortable.

Tristan laughed, "yeah... Blankey likes you..."

"Disgusting!" Kaiba thought, while glaring at the dog, then he hissed at her. He had to anime sweatdrop yet again. He was getting a little too used to this body, already.

Tristan then cradled Kaiba close. "Well... let's head home..." he said, using the back of his fingers to try and smooth the red kitten's fur back in place, ignoring the dog's drool.

Kaiba sighed inwardly, well it was better than living on the streets, he guessed. Then he blinked, as the discomfort of his fur was melting away with each light stroke of Tristan's fingers. The CEO-turned-kitten was also noticing how warm Tristan was. The bodyheat soon making him tired. Yawning, Kaiba let his eyes close, then he dozed off.

* * *

Nanaki: WAI! (_squeals_...)

Yasuo: (_runs away from Nanaki_) no more glomps!

Nanaki: (_glomps... Nana-chan_) WAI! I SO HAPPY!

Nanashi: (_anime sweatdrops_) I noticed... (_pushes Nanaki away_) ... sorry for the lack of plot development... I just wrote while in a sappy mood, so (_bows in apology_) gomen...

Yasuo: (_eats a pixi stick_)

Nanaki: Ya-kun! Thief!

Yasuo: mwaha?


	3. Kaiba's Bath

Disclaimer: I've no idea why we keep repeating it...

Nanaki: because it's fun!

Nanashi: er... go ahead then...

Nanaki: Everything doesn't belong to Nana-chan... me, or Ya-kun!

Yasuo: why would I wanna own 'em? a pack of guys being owned by me... think of the scandel...

Nanaki: (_giggles_) or think of the money you can make, renting them out!

Yasuo: (_eyes widen, then grins_) hey yeah!

Yasuo & Nanaki: (_start scheming of a way to get the Yu-Gi-Oh! characters to be theirs_)

Nanashi: (_anime sweatdrops_) er... okay then

Warnings: shounen-ai, and mild sappiness, I think... also mild language, courtesy of Kaiba...

**

* * *

**

Tristan opened the frontdoor, stepping aside, allowing Blankey to dart into the house first. She was bounding towards the kitchen, while Tristan was taking off his shoes, still carefully holding his new find.

"Tristan, that you?" a woman's voice called.

"Yeah, mom..." he called back. Tristan then blinked, and cringed slightly; he had to look down at the kitten, apologetically. Someone yelling while you were sleeping wasn't pleasant.

Kaiba opened his eyes, lazily. Then opening his mouth, he released a large yawn. He needed to stretch, but that would require Tristan letting him go. Blinking a bit, the 'kitten' looked around. Hm, nice house, actually. Cozy, warm, cheerful.

Then Kaiba was carried into the kitchen, Blankey already sitting by the table, tail thumping away. She was happy to be home, apparently. Kaiba was vaguely aware that Tristan wasn't willing to put him down anytime soon. The brunette had easily managed to take off his coat, while still holding Kaiba close.

"How does Blankey keep getting out...?" Tristan asked his mother, glaring mildly at his dog.

Kaiba tilted his head slightly. So this was Mrs. Taylor. She was a pretty woman, with warm gold-grey eyes, and a friendly smile. Kaiba watched her, so that's who Tristan got his unique eye-color from. But clearly he never got his height from his mother, since he was almost a foot taller than her.

"I don't know... but I'm glad you found her... I told you to start locking the gate..." she was saying, while shaking her head, in mock annoyance.

"What? I did..." Tristan shrugged. "Not my fault I have an abnormally smart dog..."

Blankey barked, as if acknowledging the compliment.

"Oh yeah... by the way... look what I found..." Tristan said, holding Kaiba up for Mrs. Taylor to see.

She blinked, turning back to her son. Her eyes landing on a small red kitten in Tristan's hands. "Oh... he's adorable...!" she gushed, with a smile.

Tristan smiled. His mother was an animal-lover, more than him, actually.

Kaiba bristled at the so-called compliment. "Adorable? I am anything _but_ adorable!" he thought, in annoyance.

Tristan blinked, at the tension in the kitten. He chuckled, "I think you offended him..." he said, amused. Then he gently stroked his hand down Kaiba's back.

The CEO-turned-kitten anime sweatdropped, then felt all annoyances melt away again. And he couldn't help but relax at Tristan's warm hand running down his back, over and over. Now if he were human this would be pretty kinky...

The tell-tale heat in his face told Kaiba that he was blushing again; He shook his head, quickly. He _wasn't_ human at the moment. "Don't even try to think like that," he told himself, firmly.

"What happened? Why does his fur look like that?" Mrs. Taylor asked, referring to the clumpy rusty-red fur that was matted in some points, yet smoothed down. The poor thing was also rather grubby, covered with some dust.

"Blankey kinda found him, so..." Tristan answered, with a small grin.

"Hm, makes sense, I guess... you should clean him... if you found him on the streets, you have to clean him, remember?"

Tristan blinked, then he sighed, "yes, ma'am..." He smiled wryly at Kaiba, "guess you're getting a bath, little guy."

"What?..!" Kaiba thought in alarm.

Tristan started carrying Kaiba upstairs, to a bathroom. Once in the bathroom, Kaiba was placed on the floor, and Tristan closed the door, in case the kitten decided to make a run for it. The brunette looked around a bit, brow furrowed in thought.

"Now, how to do this...?" he looked down at Kaiba. "Blankey gets baths in the yard... you, I'm not sure of..."

"Well, skip the bath then..." Kaiba thought, unknowingly backing up into a corner. He was really dreading the thought of water. Courtesy of his new body, most likely. Then he was picked up by Tristan again.

"Well, you're small enough to fit in the sink..." he commented.

"Oh no..." Kaiba thought, nervously. After putting the plug in the drain, Tristan started filling the sink with warm water, constantly checking the temperature. Didn't want to burn the little guy.

"Well, at least he's courteous," Kaiba thought. He gulped, watching the water.

"Alright, that'll do..." Tristan murmured, shutting off the water. Then he held up Kaiba, smiling faintly. "Don't make me regret this, please? I bathed a cat before, and it wasn't pretty..."

"Then don't put me in there!" Kaiba thought, his tail curling under him, as Tristan held him over the water, carefully.

Tristan sighed, slightly. "Go easy on me..." Then he slowly lowered Kaiba towards the water.

"Okay, just don't think about it..." Kaiba was telling himself. "You're not a cat... you're a human, in the body of a cat... water can't hurt you... water can't hurt you... water can't hurt you... water can't hurt..." His lower body suddenly felt very, _very_ soaked! "I'm lying...! YES, IT CAN!"

Without thinking, Kaiba released a sharp yowl, and started squirming and struggling. Then he clawed his way to Tristan's chest, said claws digging into the brunette's shirt, and maybe some skin.

"Hey!" Tristan protested, then fell back in surprise, hitting the side of a shelf. Resulting in a THUMP, and a CRASH, as a clay vase hit the floor.

Tristan cringed at the CRASH. Slowly opening one eye, the brunette glanced to where the sound came from. Then he anime sweatdropped, while staring at the pile of shattered clay. His older sister was gonna kill him. She made that vase in 10th grade.

Running footsteps sounded outside, then there was knocking on the door. "Tristan? Tristan, are you okay?" his mother asked, quickly.

Tristan sat up, still staring at the broken pieces of clay. Then he sighed, and started getting to his feet. Once he noticed the kitten's trembling, he gently held Kaiba to his chest, "hey... relax... it's okay..." he told him, softly. He used his thumb to stroke under the kitten's ear, soothingly.

"Tristan?" Mrs. Taylor peered in.

Tristan blinked, and glanced at her, "yeah, I'm alright..."

She sighed, probably with relief. "What happened...?" she asked. Her eyebrow quirked at the bathroom's... disarray. A shelf was knocked down, and a vase from her daughter was broken. Now what could have caused it?

"He panicked..." Tristan smiled weakly.

"Oh," she looked at the kitten,confused.

Not that Tristan could blame her. Someone falling, and two things breaking in less than 3 seconds, didn't seem like something that was just caused by a kitten panicking. But that's what happened. "I know what to do..." Tristan reassured his mother. "Don't worry about it..."

Mrs. Taylor pursed her lips, then nodded. "Alright, then... I have to finish dinner." Once she closed the door again, she was gone.

Tristan almost wanted to laugh, but the small pain in his back from hitting the shelf was preventing that. And the claws digging in his chest weren't helping. There had to be a better way to go about bathing the kitten.

And personally, Kaiba was feeling like an idiot. But the thought of water, being in it, scared the hell out of him.

Sitting on the side of the tub, Tristan grabbed a facecloth. While dipping the cloth in the warm water, he sat Kaiba on his lap. Then Tristan gently stroked Kaiba's head with the damp cloth, carefully holding Kaiba in place, by leaving his hand on his mid-section.

Kaiba cringed, noticing that Tristan wasn't wringing all the water out. He was getting just as soaked as he would, if he were in the sink. Still cringing as water ran down his head, almost into his eyes, Kaiba could only mew pathetically.

"Relax... it's just water..." Tristan said, softly. He smiled faintly, "you can scratch me, if it'll make you feel any better..." he offered.

Unsheathing his newly mastered claws, Kaiba dug them into Tristan's hand. The brunette hissed quietly in pain. It seemed that claws hurt more than teeth. Then he chuckled, ruefully.

"Right... I knew I'd regret saying that..."

This went on for a while, Tristan still being patient and gentle with Kaiba. While the CEO-turned-kitten remained tense in the brunette's lap, his claws still digging in the back of Tristan's hand. And water running down his furry, lithe body, as well as Tristan's arms and legs.

Tristan pondered using shampoo or something to get the dog slobber out of the kitten's fur. But with the discomfort and tension, the brunette didn't have the heart to make the kitten go through anymore.

"... Hm, alright, that's as clean as you're gonna get... if we keep doing it this way..." Tristan said, simply. Wringing out the cloth with one hand, Tristan stood up, cradling the damp kitten to his chest, ignoring the fact that his shirt was getting just as damp as his pants. He felt like laughing, since the kitten clinging to him, claws firmly in place. It was cute, but he couldn't dry the kitten like this.

Tristan carefully pried the kitten's claws out of his shirt, and slightly held him away, causing Kaiba to start shivering.

And Kaiba was not happy at the moment.He was cold and wet now! He quickly shook off the water, splashing Tristan in the process.

Tristan anime sweatdropped, getting water on his face.

Kaiba smirked, inwardly.

Eyebrow cocked, Tristan licked his lips. "Uh... right... I guess I had that coming, after putting you through that..." he said, slowly. Kaiba nodded.

Which Tristan smiled at. Then he grabbed a towel, and wrapped up Kaiba, as he carried the kitten out of the bathroom to his room.

Once Tristan sat on his bed, Kaiba was in his lap again. Then Tristan started drying him off. Starting with his head, working his way down Kaiba's body. Kaiba stared up at Tristan, finding that the brunette really was easy on the eyes. Good with his hands, too.

Kaiba anime sweatdropped, still wondering how he managed to have such thoughts go through his head.

Tristan smiled, lightly ruffling the kitten's head with the towel, causing Kaiba to glare up at him. Kaiba was then sat on the floor. "That's as dry as I can get you... the rest is up to you," the brunette told him.

Kaiba stepped away a bit, and started to shake the water off somemore. Not as bad as before, but Kaiba still felt soaked. He shook off his hind legs, then sat down, and started licking his forepaws.

Then he froze, anime sweatdropping. Alright, he was getting _way_ too used to this body.

Then the phone rang. Tristan didn't bother getting up. He rested his chin in his hand, while watching the kitten. For some reason, he really liked watching him. He was cute. The way he tried to look so defiant, yet seemed a little dependant, too.

"Tristan, phone!" Mrs. Taylor called.

Tristan looked up, then got to his feet. "Alright..." he glanced at the blue-eyed kitten, "stay here, okay?" Then he anime sweatdropped, as the kitten almost glared at him.

As if saying, "how dare you tell me what to do!"

Tristan blinked, then shrugged, and walked out the room, closing the door a bit.

**oooXXXooo**

Picking up the phone, that was laying beside the cradle, Tristan brought it to his ear. "Yeah?"

"Tristan... have you seen Seto around?" a boy's voice asked, worriedly.

"Huh...? Mokuba...? Uh, no, I haven't... not since school..." answered Tristan, lightly plucking at his damp shirt. Yeah, he'd better change before dinner...

"He said he'd be home an hour ago... I'm getting worried..." Mokuba blurted, sounding a little near tears.

Tristan furrowed his brow. Mokuba near hysterics. Not a good thing. "Uh, I'm sure it's nothing, Mokuba... probably just work..." he said.

"What if it isn't?" Mokuba cried. "Tristan, what if big brother's in trouble?..!"

Tristan smiled slightly. 12 years old, and the kid was already a mother hen. "I don't think you need to worry about Kaiba, Mokuba..." Tristan assured the younger Kaiba. "Your brother, he's one of the strongest people I know..."

Mokuba took a shaky breath. "Yeah? You think he's alright? Like, what if someone's trying to kidnap him, or something..!"

"... Then I'd pity the kidnappers," replied Tristan, sincerely.

Mokuba laughed a bit. "Yeah, Seto would probably tear them apart, huh?"

"Most likely..." Tristan agreed, with a smile. Then he frowned slightly, getting a thought, "what about you, Mokuba? You okay?" he asked. He couldn't help but be concerned for the kid's well-being. Big brother complex, perhaps.

"Huh?" Mokuba sounded confused.

"You're not by yourself, are you?"

"Uh-uh... Neil and Willy are here... and Clara's here, too..."

Tristan anime sweatdropped, "uh... and they are?"

"Neil and Willy are my bodyguards... Clara's the housekeeper..."

"They take care of you when Kaiba's not around?"

"Uh-huh... Neil and Willy are the best... and Clara's so nice..."

Tristan smiled, "alright... as long as you're okay, Mokuba..."

"I'm fine... it's Seto I'm worried about..." Mokuba said, firmly. "You should be, too."

Vaguely confused by the last statement, Tristan shook his head slightly. "Uh, he's probably fine..." he reassured him.

"Yeah, I guess... well, if you do see him, beat him up for me... I don't like when he makes me worry about him..." Mokuba muttered, no longer sounding upset. Moreover annoyed.

Tristan blinked, then laughed slightly. "Can't beat him up, Mokuba... it'll ruin his looks... imagine how many people'll hate me..."

"I guess... yeah, I don't think you can take Seto, anyways."

Tristan anime sweatdropped, again. "Hey, now that's a low blow..." he said, feigning irritation.

Mokuba laughed. "Sorry... I gotta go, bye, Tristan... thanks for cheering me up..." then he hung up.

Tristan smiled, as he sat the phone back in its cradle. Hm, so Kaiba wasn't around. Well, what Tristan said was true. He thought Kaiba could take care of himself. So why worry?

Then with a shrug to himself, Tristan turned to head back upstairs to get the kitten. It was nearly time for dinner, and he had to assume the kitten would be hungry. Kittens couldn't take care of themselves, after all.

**

* * *

**

Nanaki: (_giggles_) I am loving this!

Yasuo: (_blinks, then shrugs_) ... eh...

Nanashi: (_blinks, then glares at Yasuo_) Yasuo!

Nanaki: (_growls, and whips out a steel mallet_) DIE, YOU! (_lunges at Ya-kun_)

Yasuo: ACK! (_runs for his dear life_)

Nanashi: (_anime sweatdrops_) er, thank you, Nanaki...

Nanaki: no problem, Nana-chan! (_glares at Ya-kun somemore_) COME BACK HERE!

Yasuo: AUUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH! IT WAS A JOKE, I SWEAR!


	4. A New Name

**Disclaimer: not ours, any of it!**

**Warnings: Nanaki smells...**

Nanaki: (_wallops Ya-kun with a mallet_)

Yasuo: ACK! . (_hits the floor, semi-conscious_)

Nanashi: (_anime sweatdrops_) umm... heh, ignore that...

**Real Warnings: rather meaningless shounen-ai, very mild hentai... and Kaiba's choice of language**... and I just made up the names, off the top of my head.

Nanaki: hmph... (_stomps on Ya-kun's back_)

Yasuo: OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! ACK!

Nanashi: (_anime sweatdrops_) yeesh, she's feeling violent today...

Yasuo: . really...? erk... hadn't... noticed... -.-;;;;;;;;

Nanaki: (_smiles innocently_)

Nanashi: heh, and I dunno why I even started this fic... I just had this weird dream... there I was watching an episode of Yu-Gi-Oh, and Honda was holding this little kitten... named Kaiba O.o;;;;; strange dream, but I kinda liked it... plus, neko-Kaiba was so cute... er, in the dream, I mean...

**

* * *

**

Tristan frowned, as he looked through the cupboards. "Lemme guess... no more catfood...?"

"We haven't had a cat in a while, so I'm afraid not..." Mrs. Taylor answered. Then she looked at Kaiba, who was sitting by Tristan's feet, waiting. "He's still just a kitten... I think cream should be enough for him..." she commented.

Tristan blinked, then looked down at Kaiba, and smiled. "I guess that'll be enough." he agreed. After opening another cupboard, he grabbed a small bowl, and walked to the fridge.

Kaiba could only sit there, watching Tristan and Mrs. Taylor going about their business. It seemed a little strange to be fed in someone else's home, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't hungry. Then the kitten looked up, as Tristan knelt down, sitting the bowl of cream in front of him.

"Sorry, little guy... hope this'll do..." said Tristan, smiling faintly.

Kaiba blinked, then looked at the cream, in mild distaste. This was supposed to satisfy his appetite? But that inviting smell was getting pretty hard to ignore. With an inward sigh, and a look of defeat, he stepped up to the bowl, dipping his tongue into the cream, experimentally.

Tristan furrowed his brow, in some concern, "I don't think he learned how to eat yet, mom..."

"Don't worry about it, Tristan... he'll learn as he goes..." Mrs. Taylor smiled.

Well, this seemed hardly fair. Here Kaiba was, practically starving, and he had to learn a new way of eating? The CEO-turned-kitten scowled in determination, as he lapped at the cream, a little messily. After a few more tries, he succeeded to actually capture the cream on his tongue. With a grin of triumph, he began eagerly lapping at his dinner. Ignoring some of the cream dripping down his fuzzy chin.

Tristan grinned, "well, that's a relief..."

"Tristan, can you check on the roast, please?" Mrs. Taylor asked, stirring the gravy. Then she blinked, noticing that her son was watching the kitten, a soft smile on his face. Cute. But she didn't want her roast drying out if it was done. She cleared her throat.

Tristan looked up, "huh?"

"The roast?"

"Oh..." he got to his feet, and did as he was asked. A minute later he returned, straight back to the new kitten. "I'd say another five minutes..." he told told her, kneeling by the kitten again.

Mrs. Taylor nodded, "thank you..."

"No problem..."

Kaiba continued lapping at the empty bowl, getting what little was left. Drops of cream were still here and there. Tristan anime sweatdropped, picking up Kaiba, while glancing at the bowl, in some amusement.

"Heh... that's as clean as it's gonna get, little guy..."

Kaiba blinked, feeling a twinge of disappointment. But then again, he was feeling full... Hm, cream on his paws, from his first few failed attempts of eating. So Kaiba proceeded to lick his paws clean. And while pushing down some vague embarrassment, he tried to ignore Tristan's laughing.

**oooXXXooo**

Kaiba slowly walked around the first floor of the house. The Taylors were in the diningroom, ready to start dinner. Once Tristan's father got home, dinner was served. The family sat around the table, in a traditional way, and started talking as they began to eat. So without anything to do, the 'kitten' decided to examine his surroundings.

Kaiba almost smiled, while leaving the diningroom at the typical family scene. Tristan was being questioned on how he was doing in school. Mrs. Taylor saying how her day went, and Mr. Taylor having amusing stories from work.

... Such a happy family.

Kaiba felt a small ache of loneliness set in. He began to wonder how Mokuba was doing. And wondered if he was disppointed, or annoyed that Kaiba couldn't take him to the museum. Thoughts on whether his little brother would hold a grudge or not caused the red-haired kitten to grimace, everso slightly. Mokuba's grudges were not... friendly.

Kaiba sighed, "I'll have to make it up to him..." he thought. "Once this whole ordeal is over."

Entering the livingroom, Kaiba sat down, thinking of ways to make Mokuba... well, not angry at him. Then the former-human noticed some pictures on the wall, and couldn't help but examine the people in the photos.

Mr. Taylor, the successful businessman, and Mrs. Taylor, the loving wife and mother. They both had a son, who gained his father's height and looks, while gaining the warmth of his mother's eyes and smile. A son who did fairly well in school, to Kaiba's knowledge.

In another picture was the Taylors, along with a woman holding a toddler. Kaiba tilted his head, a little curious about the young woman in the picture. As well as the kid.

"If Tristan has this kind of life, why did he get involved with gangs, and street fights?" Kaiba wondered. It seemed like a pretty decent home life, one that didn't really seem cause for raising a streetpunk. But that's what Tristan was considered. The 'kitten' had to wonder if Tristan's parents knew of their son's repuration.Well, that was something to think about.

**oooXXXooo**

"Great dinner, mom..." Tristan commented, smiling contently, while leaning back in his seat. His mother's roast had to be the best, as well as his favorite. Next to okonomiyaki, of course.

Mrs. Taylor nodded at the compliment. "Thank you... and it's your turn to do the dishes..." she responded, with a smile.

Tristan anime sweatdropped, "what?"

Mr. Taylor chuckled, "yup... your turn, Tristan..." he chimed in.

"Hey, now... when's the last time you did them?" Tristan challenged his father, while watching him expectantly.

Mr. Taylor anime sweatdropped, "well, I..."

Mrs. Taylor blinked, then realized Tristan had a point. So she shot her husband a look, "he's right, Michael... when _did_ you do the dishes last?" she asked.

"Uhhhh... I have some paperwork to do..." Mr. Taylor said, forcing an innocent grin. Then he quickly stood up, ready for a hasty retreat.

"Michael... it's your turn to do the dishes..." Mrs. Taylor declared, also standing, in case she had to stop him. Physically if need be.

"What?" Mr. Taylor squawked. "B-but, Amanda... I think our son needs more discipline, and... t-to get discipline, one needs to do the dishes, and..." he said, trying to sound firm. Though his quaking tone was ruining the image.

"Michael..." Mrs. Taylor placed her hands on her hips, glaring slightly.

"But..."

Well, his work was done, so to speak. So Tristan grinned, as he stood up, and kissed his mother's cheek, then he headed for the livingroom. Patting his dad's shoulder, as he walked by, to look for the kitten.

Then he saw the little guy, staring up at the family photos.

Curious, Tristan walked up to him and gently picked up his newest find. "Hey, what's so fascinating about the pictures?" he asked, lightly stroking the kitten's chin.

Kaiba looked up at him. Then closed his eyes, beginning to relax again.

"Well... I have homework... you either wanna stay down here, or come with me," Tristan told Kaiba, with a small smile.

"Michael, dishes..!" Mrs. Taylor was commanding.

"But, Amanda...!" Mr. Taylor whined, playfully.

"Dishes, or couch... those are your options."

"How am I supposed to wash the couch..? er, oh..."

Kaiba anime sweatdropped at the strange argument. Then he looked up at Tristan, silently making his decision.

"I'll take that as a 'let's go'..." said Tristan, with a small grin.

**oooXXXooo**

Once he closed the door, and placed Kaiba on his desk, Tristan sat down, and started to work. And Kaiba was content with sitting on the desk, just watching Tristan's hand, and pen, as he wrote with a neat scribe. First it was math, then science. Now it was history, and he was going through the final draft of his essay.

Kaiba was actually impressed at how quickly Tristan was getting through his homework.

And every question he answered was right on the mark. And his essay was nicely structured.

"Well, that's better than nothing..." Tristan muttered, while writing the last word, closing and pushing his book aside. He leaned back, tilting his head thoughtfully; yeah, this essay would have to do. He missed some small bits of information, since he just started it yesterday. Oh well...

Then he glanced at Kaiba, who was staring intently at his pen. Smiling faintly, Tristan held the pen out to Kaiba, whom couldn't help but lightly bat at it. Which caused the CEO-turned-kitten to anime sweatdrop.

Resting his chin in his hand, Tristan watched the kitten intently. "You need a name..." he commented, tapping his pen against the desk out of habit when he thought.

Kaiba stared at the pen, then looked up at then brunette, confused. And he scowled slightly, "I already have a name..."

"I was thinking just 'Neko' would do... but that wouldn't be very creative..." Tristan smiled, with a small shrug. He rested his hand against the kitten's head, and started to pet him, "why not Akai...? You're red, after all..."

"Akai...?" Kaiba thought. Actually, it sounded alright when Tristan said it. He laid down, paws curling underneath him, getting used to Tristan petting and stroking him so gently.

Tristan glanced at the digital clock, seeing it was only 9:34. But then, he was feeling tired. As if to confirm his sleepy state, he yawned. So Tristan stood up, turning off the lamp. It took a second for his eyes to adjust to the dark, then he managed to make out the kitten. That desk couldn't be the most comfortable place.

Carefully lifting Kaiba, he brought him to his bed, laying him on the pillow. Kaiba glared at him for disturbing his relaxing. Tristan smiled, "sorry about that..."

Kaiba accepted the apology, then went back to closing his eyes. Until he heard something. Opening one eye, Kaiba's face reddened. Tristan taking off his shirt..?

"He better not take off those pants!" Kaiba thought, squeezing his eyes shut. "Not that I'd mind, but..." the 'kitten' anime sweatdropped. When did he become such a pervert, anyway?

Then the bed shifted, as Tristan laid down. Kaiba opened one eye, finding himself face to face with the brunette.

And he was watching him, almost curiously. Kaiba's other eye opened, to glare at Tristan. Only to have him smile in return. "You're a moody cat..." he commented, quietly.

"Well, what would you think if you're trying to sleep, and someone watches you...?" Kaiba thought, feeling a flicker of annoyance. Which once again melted away, as Tristan started to stroke his chin again.

Kaiba closed his eyes, and without thinking, started to purr. Which didn't bother him, at the moment. It felt too nice.

Then a minute after the kitten dozed off, Tristan fell asleep.

**

* * *

**

Nanaki: O-O so very kawaii! (_gets images in her head_)

Yasuo: (_folds his arms_) you're a hentai, Nanaki... Kaiba's a kitten, Tristan's a human... they can't _do_ anything!

Nanashi & Nanaki: (_anime sweatdrops_...)

Nanaki: (_glares at Ya-kun_) YOU'RE THE HENTAI! I WASN'T THINKING ANYTHING LIKE THAT! (_clobbers Ya-kun with a mallet_)

Yasuo: ACK! (_hits the floor, semi-conscious_) -.-;;;;;;

Nanashi: hn... and I thought I was violent... you guys are weird... that's all I have to say, heh.


	5. Meeting Akai

**Disclaimer: nope, anything mentioned in this, most likely isn't hers...**

**Warnings: shounen-ai, mild hentai... plus Kaiba and Tristan's little bit of cursing...**

Nanashi: (_blinks, then claps for Yasuo & Nanaki_) very nicely done, you two...

Yasuo: (_blinks_)

Nanaki: (_blushes_)

Yasuo & Nanaki: (_look at each other, then shrug and bow_)

Nanashi: (_snickers_) ... by the way, names made up from the the top of my head...

**

* * *

**

Kaiba awoke slowly. He was in a very warm place. He opened his eyes, trying to remember where he was. He had one warm muscular arm surrounding him, and an equally warm hand resting on his body, resulting in the warm, safe place for the new 'kitten'. Kaiba yawned, then snuggled back into his warmth.

Wherever he was, he liked it.

The soft, rythmic breathing, a strong heartbeat. It all had a very relaxing effect...

"Tristan, time to get up!" a woman's voice called.

Kaiba opened his eyes again, as he lifted his head, confused. Tristan? He looked up, sure enough, there was Tristan Taylor who looked like he was sleeping for a moment.

Until he opened one golden-grey eye, hazily. Which shifted over to his desk, at the digital clock. 7:12am.

"Ugh... friday mornings..." the brunette groaned quietly, lightly nestling his head into his pillow. Then he looked at Kaiba, and smiled. "Hey, Akai..."

Kaiba blinked in confusion. Akai..? Oh yeah, that was his new name, or something. He yawned again, and laid back down, his head against Tristan's arm.

Tristan raised eyebrow. "Nice greeting..." he said, dryly.

"Tristan, are you up?" Mrs. Taylor called again.

Making sure to turn away from Kaiba, to avoid yelling in the kitten's ear, Tristan grimaced. "Yeah, I'm awake..." he called back, in mid-yawn.

"... 'Awake' and 'up' are two different things, Tristan...!"(**1**)

Tristan sighed, his mother used that line on him every morning, all his life. Then he sat up, as he proceeded to stretch.

With his source of heat gone, Kaiba shivered a bit, to his annoyance. He scowled, looking around for a moment, then moved to a much warmer spot. Like where Tristan just finished laying. Ah, that was better.

Tristan was then on his feet, glancing at the cat, who looked ready to fall back asleep. Lucky animal, he thought. Getting to sleep all day, without a care in the world.

Little did Tristan know, that was what Kaiba had always wanted.

With a small grin, he tossed the covers over 'Akai', then Tristan headed for the bathroom. A shower, and he'd be like any other morning person. Hopefully.

**oooXXXooo**

"This is nice..." Kaiba thought. He was curled up in a very warm, comfy place, feeling perfectly at ease in his new surroundings. Not needing to worry about anything. Then he scowled, if those idiots didn't get Mokuba to school on time...

Then he was distracted by a scent. A nice scent. Kaiba couldn't have been in a better place, warm, comfy. And a subtle scent. What it was, Kaiba wasn't sure... but he liked it. Soapy almost, and maybe a little like cedar... kinda sweet, spicy, but not flowery.

It was hard to describe.

Half an hour later, Tristan returned, with only a towel around his waist. Kaiba peeked his head out from under the covers. His eyes suddenly devouring the brunette's almost-bare muscular frame.

Tristan paused, noticing the kitten was really staring at him. And for some reason, it made him uncomfortable. So he walked up to his bed, and grabbed the covers, tossing them over the kitten again.

"Don't stare, little hentai."

"... Damn..." Kaiba thought. "And I'm not hentai!" Once he managed to get his head back out from under the covers, Tristan was half-dressed. But at least Kaiba got to enjoy the smooth muscled back the brunette had.

That is until Tristan pulled a shirt up and over his shoulders, and started buttoning it. Kaiba sighed inwardly, in reluctantly admitted disappointment.

Then Blankey peered in, and barked in greeting.

Kaiba glared at her, "what do you want, mutt...?" he thought, in irritation. The dog may have been friendly, but she stilled bugged the hell out of him.

"Hey, Blankey..." Tristan greeted simply, while patting the dog on the head. Glancing at the clock, Tristan grabbed his uniform jacket, and headed out the door, deciding a quick breakfast was in order.

Kaiba grimaced slightly, watching Tristan leave; being left alone with the mutt really didn't appeal to him. So he approached the edge of the bed, looking down at the floor. Seemed pretty far down, thanks to his new size. 'Akai' glanced at Blankey, who was watching him, almost curiously.

Willing himself to ignore the dog, Kaiba carefully leaned down, both paws clinging to the side of the bed, he managed to get a _little_ closer to the floor. Finally, in a burst of impatience, Kaiba merely let go, and tumbled to the floor.

Sitting upright again, Kaiba shook his head quickly, still trying to ignore the dog. He looked around, thoughtfully. And brightened, very slightly; Tristan's backpack was sitting, open, on the floor. "He'll be back to get that," thought Kaiba. His books were already packed, ready to go.

Kaiba's ear twitched a bit, as he thought about his options.

One, stay at Tristan's house. In his room. Sleep, probably all day, and just take it easy?

Or two, jump in the backpack. Get to school. See if he would miss anything of great importance?

Kaiba slowly walked up to the backpack, still thinking. Alright, first off, why? Kaiba _was_ pretty far ahead in all of his classes. All of his assignments were usually handed in well-before the due date.

Hunger should also be a factor. How could Kaiba know if anyone would even stay home? He stepped a little closer to the backpack, then paused, staring at it, his lip curling thoughtfully. That small compartment on the side looked about his size.

Cursing his sudden indecisiveness, Kaiba set his jaw in determination, and walked into the backpack. Into the small pocket to the side, curling up in an attempt to remain hidden, since Tristan would more than likely take him back out if he was found.

A minute later, Tristan returned, grabbing his backpack. Then he frowned slightly, looking around for Akai as he put a pen in his pocket, and lifted his backpack over his shoulder, against his back. He glanced down at Blankey, she was laying on the floor a little too calmly.

Tristan raised an eyebrow, questioningly, "Blankey...?"

"Tristan... you're gonna be late..." Mrs. Taylor called.

Watching his dog for a moment, and receiving nothing of suspicion, Tristan shrugged, deciding Akai only fell asleep under the covers again. So he turned, leaving his room, and headed for the frontdoor.

**oooXXXooo**

"Alright, class... I trust you all finished your essays?" Tristan's history teacher asked.

Half of the class fidgeted, uncomfortably. Tristan couldn't help but feel a little awkward. He felt that way everytime he would hand something in.

Alright, so he finished assignments. What was the big deal? Was he supposed to be like every other so-called tough guy, and just show up for class, sitting there, doing nothing? A few guys tried to make fun of him for it. They were new, thinking that if Tristan knew what he was doing in class, he didn't know how to use his fists.

Tristan quickly fixed that, proving them wrong.

"Mr. Taylor? Your essay?"

Tristan looked up at the teacher, his hand washeld out, waiting. With a sheepish grin, Tristan nodded, lifting his backpack, he opened it, then froze. Seeing a pair of familiar deep blue eyes staring up at him. And they blinked.

Tristan anime sweatdropped as he snapped his backpack closed again, hastily. Nervously, he glanced up at his teacher, with a small gulp. "Uh, sir... I don't feel so well... may I be excused?" he asked, with a weak grin.

The manraised an eyebrow, "uh..."

"Please? I think I feel nauseous..." Tristan tried, pulling his backpack closer to his chest.

"... Um, of course, Mr. Taylor... but can I have your essay?"

"Uhhh..." he swallowed, then shot a look at Joey Wheeler, silently pleading for his help.

The blonde teen blinked, then shrugged to himself. "Ohhhhhh! I don't feel so good!" Joey wailed dramatically, placing the back of his hand against his forehead. The action easily catching the teacher's attention. And for added effect, Joey fell out of his desk with a thud.

Tristan smiled with relief, as his teacher strided over to Joey's desk.

"Mr. Wheeler... I would thank you not act up in my class..." he was saying, sounding annoyed.

Tristan shot up to his feet, "still feeling sick... be right back..." he blurted, hugging the backpack close. Then he bolted for the door.

Yugi Muto, Tea Gardner, and Ryou Bakura stared at the door where Tristan eagerly ran out, then they looked at Joey, whom was sitting on the floor, taking his lecture. Slowly, the trio glanced at each other, confused.

**oooXXXooo**

Once arriving at the fire escape door, Tristan ran out onto the empty stairwell, leaning heavily against the door. Cringing slightly, he opened his backpack, "Akai..." he muttered, with a look of disapproval at the kitten.

Kaiba popped out of his small compartment, shaking his head. Then he looked up at Tristan, blankly.

"So, this is where you went..." Tristan said, with a sigh. Pets, definitely not allowed on the schoolgrounds. Yet here Tristan was, with a kitten in his backpack. And Tristan obviously couldn't take him home at the moment.

He already got in trouble twice this month. Three times being the maximum. And it was only the second week.

"Great," Tristan thought. "I can either get in trouble for carrying a kitten around school, or I can get in trouble for leaving the grounds, during school hours..." He furrowed his brow, as he thought on what to do...

Kaiba sighed inwardly. Tristan was obviously at a loss. "Let me stay... plain and simple... besides who'll notice me...?" he chided silently.

Tristan pursed his lips, watching Akai carefully. "You promise to stay out of sight?" he asked, gently tugging the kitten's ear. He couldn't help but smile as Akai pulled his ear free, then nodded.

... Nah, probably not intentionally, but it was cute... and assuring... nonetheless.

Nodding, Tristan knelt down and lifted Kaiba from his backpack, then pulled out his binder which he sat by his feet. He smiled, petting the kitten, before sitting him back in the main compartment of his bag. Kaiba stretched, now having more space to move. That little pocket obviously didn't have the legroom Kaiba would have liked. Still smiling, Tristan closed the backpack, and lifted it over his shoulder, while carrying his binder back to class.

**oooXXXooo**

Once the lunchbell rang, Tristan had again run out of the class and out of the building, not bothering to wait for Yugi and the others. But they did easily manage to catch up; they saw Tristan sitting under a tree, holding his backpack, peering inside. As they drew closer, Tristan anime sweatdropped, and closed the backpack hastily, holding it close.

Yugi quirked an eyebrow. Then he smiled sweetly, "so how are you feeling, Tristan?" he asked, sitting next to him.

Tristan forced a smile, "uh, fine... just fine..."

"You left class in a hurry... are you sure?" asked Ryou, sitting on the other side of the brunette.

Tristan rubbed the back of his neck, then he nodded quickly. "Couldn't be better," he assured them.

Tea sat in front of the three of them, her eyebrow raised. "You positive? You seem just a little jumpy..." she commented.

Tristan anime sweatdropped again, as he was now getting surrounded by his friends. Joey sat beside Tea, and he watched Tristan very steadily.

"Alright, buddy... what'd I get a ten minute lecture for?" the blonde demanded, with a frown.

Tristan swallowed somewhat nervously, then he sighed. "Okay okay, fine... just, no telling anyone, alright?" he said, eyeing all four of them, sternly. They all nodded.

With a defeated expression, Tristan opened his backpack. Then Kaiba popped out, shaking his head again. The group was silent, as they stared at the kitten.

"... Awwwww! How cute!" Tea suddenly gushed, then she snatched Kaiba from Tristan's backpack, and cuddled him. Kaiba anime sweatdropped, and began to struggle, which was soon beginning to appear useless. Finally, he settled for glaring up at the girl.

"I don't believe I gave you permission to hold me!" he thought, his ears folding back slightly in obvious annoyance.

Tristan laughed nervously, since Akai didn't seem to be the social type. So he reached over, taking Kaiba away from Tea's affectionate hold. "Tea, no offense... but can you tame it down a little? In case you forgot... no pets on the schoolgrounds..." he reminded her, holding Kaiba carefully.

"Well, why'd you bring her?" Tea asked.

Kaiba bristled, "_her_?"

Tristan almost wanted to laugh, feeling the kitten's tension. "It's a 'him'..." he corrected.

Leaning closer, Ryou gently scratched Kaiba's chin, smiling kindly. "He is adorable, though... when did you get him, Tristan?" he asked.

Kaiba blinked, then sighed to himself. It was obvious Tristan had a small habit of being protective of the weaker-types; So hurting Ryou wouldn't be smiled upon. Reluctantly, he decided accepting the affection did seem much easier than tiring himself out, trying to avoid it.

"Found him yesterday..." Tristan was saying.

Yugi smiled, petting Kaiba's head. "He's cute... what's his name?"

"Akai..." Tristan replied, with a shrug.

"Nice name..." Joey said, wryly. Kaiba couldn't help but glare at Joey at that.

"Well, I was thinking just 'Neko'... but that would be lacking in creativity," Tristan explained, with another shrug. Kaiba glanced up at him. Well, Tristan had a lot more patience than he gave him credit for.

"Just a bit..." Tea agreed, with a grin.

Ryou tilted his head, thoughtfully. "If you just found him... maybe he has an owner?"

"Probably... but he wasn't wearing a collar..." Tristan told him.

With a small inquisitive scowl, Joey crawled closer, staring hard at the kitten. Kaiba glared right back. Everyone anime sweatdropped at the staring contest between Tristan's kitten, and Joey.

Joey even began to growl, quietly. Which reminded Tristan of Blankey for a split-second. Not that Joey needed to know that. "I don't know what it is... but there's something about this furball that bugs me..." Joey suddenly said, through gritted teeth.

"Right back at you, mutt..." Kaiba thought, darkly.

That look... Joey was suddenly hit with a familiar feeling. He always got that _look_ from one person. And _one_ person only. Joey leaned back, pointing accusingly at the kitten. "That fleabag has Kaiba eyes..!" he declared.

Kaiba's eyes widened in shock, as did everyone else's.

"Whaat?" they all blurted. Yugi, Tea, and Ryou all leaned in, to get a closer look at the kitten's eyes.

Akai was obviously growing uncomfortable at so many people trying to get so close; so Tristan anime sweatdropped, and held Akai protectively from his friends' vaguely prying eyes. "You're kidding..." he scoffed at Joey.

"That's how Kaiba would always look at me..." Joey replied, with a shrug.

"Gimme a break, Joey... it's a kitten..." Tea said, with a snicker.

"Alright... maybe it's just paranoia..." muttered Joey.

Tristan furrowed his brow, getting a thought. "Speaking of Kaiba... anyone seen him? Mokuba was looking for him yesterday..."

Yugi blinked, "Mokuba called me yesterday... but I haven't seen him..."

Tea blinked, "I haven't gotten a call..." she said.

"Neither have I..." Ryou chimed in.

"Do either of you know where Kaiba is?" Tristan asked, with a small grin. Ryou shook his head.

"No..?" Tea answered, slowly.

"Maybe that's why..."

Tea folded her arms, grinning faintly, "it's kinda strange that Mokuba would only call you and _Tristan_, Yugi... why is that?"

Yugi scratched the side of his face thoughtfully. "Well, because we duel pretty often..."

"Okay... then why call Tristan?" Tea was practically smirking. She wanted to giggle at Tristan's clueless expression, but restrained herself. Tristan had blinked, while Ryou tilted his head in confusion, as Yugi shook his head, having no idea.

"Dunno," Yugi then told her, honestly.

"I don't get it..."said Joey.

"Why would Mokuba get the assumption that only Yugi and Tristan would know where Kaiba was?" Tea repeated. "Yugi, sure, because they duel together... but Tristan's the one we have to question..."

Kaiba anime sweatdropped, as he discovered what Tea was trying to get at. The conversation was fast becoming awkward. He was sitting right there, for Pete's sake!

"You didn't hear?" Tea said, almost sweetly at Yugi and Tristan's blank expression.

"Oh that..." Joey grinned, "you mean Kaiba's havin the hots for Tristan..?"

Kaiba felt himself begin to turn red, while Tristan anime sweatdropped.

"What?" he and Yugi asked, with wide eyes.

"... It-it's just a rumor, Joey..." said Ryou, with a quick shake of his head.

Tristan blinked, then glanced at Ryou. "What, I can't get people to have the hots for me?" he asked, in mock offense.

Ryou anime sweatdropped, "th-that wasn't what I meant..." he said, hastily. They were both suddenly interrupted as Joey started laughing hysterically.

As Ryou smiled weakly, Tristan watched Joey, completely deadpan. Then he pursed his lips, and handed Kaiba to Yugi.

"Hold him... thanks... Wheeler, suffer!" Tristan declared, pouncing on the blonde.

"ACK!" Joey yelped.

Yugi blinked, holding Kaiba, while Tea and Ryou anime sweatdropped, as Tristan and Joey started to fight, exchanging half-hearted blows. Kaiba anime sweatdropped, as well. Then he looked up at Yugi, questioningly.

Yugi laughed, "welcome to our little group, Akai..."

Tea smiled at Kaiba, "you get used to this whole thing... don't worry."

Ryou shook his head, "but it may take a while..."

**oooXXXooo**

Tristan sighed tiredly, as he made his way home, very slowly. Holding his kitten close.

Ugh, the days just got longer. At least, they seemed to, when it was a friday. Or maybe it just felt long, since it was a pretty eventful day. Someone asked to borrow Tristan's pen, which caused Akai to hiss for some odd reason, which nearly got Tristan in a lot of trouble. Thankfully, Tea started pretending to sneeze.

Then someone asked to borrow Tristan's science textbook for a second, and he complied. Getting it back was the rough part. The guy said thanks, and just tossed the book on Tristan's desk. On the backpack, while Tristan wasn't looking.

Akai released a sharp yowl of pain. And Tristan gaped at his bag in something resembling horror, while Yugi, Ryou, Tea, and Joey anime sweatdropped. Their teacher looked over at them, so they started pretending to cough, sneeze, or clear their throats.

It took all of Tristan's willpower not to punch the guy in the head. And some reasoning from Tea and Yugi contributed a little too. Even Ryou told Tristan to wait until after school. And to make matters worse, the guy that hurt Akai had friends to back him up. Joey, as weird as he thought it was, offered to help Tristan if he needed it.

Right, 3-to-1 odds.

They did fine.

Tristan was starting to think he was crazy for being so protective of a kitten. Hell, he wasn't even that protective of his dog.

The CEO-turned-kitten looked up at him, curiously. Tristan yawned, as he arrived at his house. Then he made his way to the frontdoor. Jamming his key in the lock, and twisting it, the door swung open.

With another yawn, Tristan shuffled in, sitting Kaiba on the floor. Then started to remove his shoes, while closing the door, locking it. No visitors, thanks. He started making his way to the livingroom, taking off his uniform jacket, and unbuttoning the cuffs of his sleeves.

Kaiba raised an eyebrow, and started to follow, feeling a twinge of worry. Tristan really wasn't acting like himself. Not that he knew Tristan that well, but he didn't seem like himself at the moment.

Tristan turned and flopped on the sofa, stretching his long legs under the coffeetable, dropping his head back, sighing as he rubbed his sore knuckles. Punching just wasn't his thing, but during their strange brawl, they were in pretty close proximity, so Tristan had no choice.

Kaiba stared up at him, then walked up to Tristan's legs, and started clambering up on his legs to get a little closer to the tired brunette.

After a moment, Tristan lifted his head, looking at Akai, who was standing on his chest, watching him intently.

"... Fridays always seem the longest..." Tristan told the kitten, simply. "Especially after you fight someone..." he smiled tiredly, petting Akai.

"So... you're just tired?" Kaiba thought.

Then the phone rang. Tristan groaned with exasperation, dropping his head back. "I am not answering that...!" he vowed to himself.

The phone rang again.

"I'm ignoring it..."

And the phone rang, yet again.

"Can't hear you..!"

Kaiba scowled, glaring at the phone. It _was_ pretty annoying. He aimed his glare at Tristan, since his stubborness was making the phone an annoyance. Jumping off Tristan's chest, Kaiba walked to the sidetable, and examined the phone.

Then he grinned inwardly; that would work just fine. Walking acoss the phone, Kaiba casually pressed his paw on 'Speaker'.

The phone stopped ringing. "Hello?" someone called.

Eyes sliding open, Tristan lazily turned to give his kitten a small glare, whom was trying to look innocent, as he sat beside the phone. Ignoring the fact that a kitten answered the phone, Tristan sighed, and crawled closer to the phone, grabbing Kaiba from the sidetable.

"Yeah?" he said wearily, while petting Akai.

Kaiba closed his eyes, and proceeded to purr softly. He was really getting to like this whole affection thing.

"Tristan?" the person on the phone asked.

"Yeah."

"Where are you?"

Tristan laughed slightly. "Where did you call?"

"... Hardy har har..."

"What's up?" Tristan asked, playing with Kaiba's ears. Which twitched a little, in some discomfort, but Kaiba didn't really care at the moment.

"Just curious if you took notes in history..."

Tristan sighed, "yeah."

"Can I borrow them?"

He rolled his eyes, "no."

"Oh c' mon..." he wheedled.

Tristan sat up, frowning faintly, still holding Kaiba. "It's not that hard to take notes... you just read what's on the board, and write down what's up there... and if it's during a lecture, just write what the teacher keeps repeating... seriously, how hard can it be?"

"Hey, sit next to Kiari, and tell me how well you can concentrate..." the person retorted.

Kiari...? A girl? Kaiba scowled at the phone. Maybe it was a mistake to answer...

"I can concentrate just fine..."

Kaiba blinked, then smirked faintly. Why was that relief to hear?

"Kiari is a stuck-up, conceited bitch..." Tristan went on, sounding annoyed. "Why do you like her anyways"

"... Because she's a _hot_ stuck-up, conceited bitch..."

Tristan rolled his eyes again, reaching over, his finger poised over the 'Speaker' button. "Sorry, Derek... you're on your own..." he replied.

"What? Hey, c' mon, Tris'..."

"Sorry, pal... call it 'tough love'..." Tristan smirked slightly, then pressed the button, hanging up on Derek. Then he looked down at Akai, who was watching him, almost curiously.

"That was Derek..." Tristan informed the kitten. "Friend of the family, more or less..."

"... He sounds like a nuisance..." Kaiba thought, with a frown.

"He's an okay guy... just a pain in the neck... always expecting me to bail him out..." said Tristan, as he laid down on the sofa, and laying the kitten on his chest.

Kaiba yawned, curling up, Tristan's bodyheat making him drowsy again. "I have to admire that, Tristan..." Kaiba thought, with a small smirk. "I always thought you were a doormat... it's a nice surprise that you're not."

Tristan closed his eyes, lightly petting Kaiba. "Friday afternoon naps... there's nothing better, in my opinion..." he murmured.

Kaiba had to agree. This was nice, relaxing. Almost perfect.

**

* * *

**

(**1**) I've been told that by pretty much everyone, every morning... family and friends alike... O.o it was weird...

**oooXXXooo**

Nanaki: (_dances around, then glomps Ya-kun_) WHEEEEEEEEEE! I SO HAPPY!

Yasuo: ACK! (_struggles_) I said no glomping!

Nanashi: (_blinks_) uh... okay then, you guys... should I leave you alone?

Yasuo& Nanaki: (_blinks... then glance at each other_) uhh...

Yasuo: (_pulls free, and runs_) GET HER AWAY!

Nanaki: YA-KUN!

Nanashi: (_snickers_)


	6. He's Tristan's

**Disclaimer: nope, none of it's ours! mwahahahahahaha! must be getting frustrating, eh lawyers! mwahahahahaha!**

Lawyers: (_glare at Nanaki_)

Nanaki: O.O;;; eeps... (_hides behind Ya-kun_)

Yasuo: (_rolls his eyes_)

**Warnings: same as before, everyone...**

Nanashi: (_snickers at Nanaki_) right... moving on...

* * *

Upon their return home, Mr. & Mrs. Taylor became a little worried that the front door was locked, since their son didn't do it so often. Mr. Taylor struggled a bit to open the door, since his arms were almost full. And once they got in the front door, the worry diminished, seeing Tristan's shoes lay neatly, almost calmly, in some odd way. And the house was very quiet for some reason...

"Tristan, we're home..." Mrs. Taylor called, as she walked in the house. A few bags of take-out in her arms. Behind her, Mr. Taylor was shifting the balance of the few paper bags of groceries that were threatening to fall.

Walking further into the house, while passing the livingroom, they saw Tristan sleeping on the couch. With his new kitten sleeping on his chest. Their son's hand rested over the kitten, protectively. It was a very sweet scene...

Pity it had to be interrupted. With a sigh, Mrs. Taylor leaned on the doorframe. "Tristan?"

"Let him sleep a little more... we still have to put the groceries away..." Mr. Taylor suggested. With a small smile, his wife nodded in agreement. And they continued on their way to the kitchen.

**oooXXXooo**

Kaiba yawned, his eyes opening and blinking, in a slow and tired way. With his eyes doing a careful sweep of the room, the red-haired kitten stood up, raising his hind end, while lowering and straightening his forelegs, he stretched his new lithe form. Then as he raised his right hind leg, Kaiba proceeded to scratch behind his ear.

His eyes fell on Tristan, as he lowered his leg, almost smiling gently. His expression was soft, warm and peaceful as he slept. Kaiba still felt a little embarrassed as he thought about the day's events.

He didn't have the 'hots' for Tristan, as Joey so courteously put it. Kaiba admired him, actually. Just a bit. And admiration didn't mean he wanted to get into anything physical with Tristan. Did it?

Kaiba's ears twitched slightly... Now that was something else to think about.

"Tristan, are you awake?" Mrs. Taylor's voice called.

Kaiba turned to the the direction the voice came from. Then he turned back to Tristan. Who cringed a little in annoyance, as he rolled over, bringing Kaiba over, too. He was still asleep.

Kaiba blinked in confusion, as he began testing his legs... Not that he minded the warmth coming from the brunette, but the CEO wasn't fond of being stuck in one place. His legs were stuck, firmly in place. So he started to struggle to get free; with some careful wiggling, Kaiba's legs were free, and he managed to get back on all four paws.Then he anime sweatdropped, as he glanced back, realizing his tail was caught under Tristan's arm. Setting his jaw, and using some effort, Kaiba yanked himself free, wincing in slight pain.

"Note to self," he thought, peering back at his swishing tail. "Tail hurts when it's pulled..."

The CEO-turned-kitten tried to glare at Tristan. To no avail, since he was sleeping. Plus, his glaring power was almost non-existant, considering the fact that Kaiba wasn't at all angry at Tristan.

With a small sigh, Kaiba walked up to Tristan, eyeing him carefully. Then he meowed, softly: "Wake up, Tristan."

No response. Kaiba pursed his lips, and butted his head against Tristan's chin, lightly. Still nothing.

If he had shoulders to shrug, Kaiba would have. Any earlier concept of embarrassment for what he was about to do didn't bother him at all, as Kaiba started nuzzling Tristan's chin to his jawline, purring loudly. Tristan smiled slightly, reaching up to pet his kitten, as he slowly opened his eyes, as he gave Akai his bleary-eyed attention.

"Yeah?" he asked, covering his small yawn with his free hand, as the other was still petting his kitten again. Kaiba glanced to the doorframe, that lead into the hallway, which lead to the kitchen.

"Tristan?" his mother called, again.

Tristan blinked and sat up, holding Kaiba in his lap, as he rubbed his eyes. "Oh... yeah, comin," he called back, as he stood up, holding Akai close.

"Hungry?"Mrs. Taylor asked, as Tristan walked in, his kitten nestled against his chest contently. My, her son was very taken by that cat, since he carried him nearly everywhere. And perhaps vice versa. Must be the eyes, she figured. They were nice eyes for a cat to have.

Covering his mouth with his hand, Tristan yawned again, and nodded as he sat down at the table. Then he had a plate of chinese food sat in front of him. Tristan nodded his thanks, then glanced down at Akai, who was looking pretty hungry himself. He moved to stand up to feed him, until...

"By the way, Tristan..."

Tristan looked up at his father, "hm?"

"Bought this for Akai..." Mr. Taylor said, with a grin, as he held out a blue collar to his son. Tristan blinked, then he smiled, as he accepted the collar with a nod of thanks.

"Thanks, dad..." he said, then he looked back at Akai. "I'm gonna put this on you, Akai... which'll make it official..." he told him, sitting Kaiba in his lap, pleased to see that the kitten was staying put.

The kitten blinked, as he looked at the collar, a little confused. Then Kaiba lifted his head a bit, as Tristan gently brought the collar around his neck, snapping it shut. Tristan slipped his finger under the collar, watching Akai carefully.

"Not too tight, is it?" he asked, softly.

Kaiba blinked again, since the collar actually felt comfortable; so he shook his head a bit. Tristan smiled, the kitten's gestures were really great to see; possibly the cutest thing in the world. He then lifted Kaiba and looked the CEO-turned-kitten right in the eye.

"Alright, then that's that..." he said, cheerfully.

Kaiba blinked, again.

"... You're mine."

The red-haired kitten's heart sped up at such an innocent declaration; but that innocence felt unreal, due to the sincere words, and kind smile. Kaiba dropped his head forward, avoiding eyecontact, as he tried to slow his heart down. While silently cursing himself for actually getting shy.

Tristan blinked, while Mr. Taylor anime sweatdropped.

"Strange... it seems like he's embarrassed..." he commented, slowly.

"Hm, my guess it that Akai is a little taken with Tristan..." Mrs. Taylor said, lightly.

Tristan shrugged, with a small grin. Then he got up, gently sitting Kaiba down on the floor, as he headed for the fridge to get his kitten something to eat. Kaiba, with his head still lowered, followed.

**oooXXXooo**

Once finished dinner, Tristan had started to head upstairs. Then he paused, hearing a soft meow. It sounded very close to an annoyed protest. Glancing back down the stairs, Tristan blinked. There was Akai, standing at foot of the stairs, his forepaws holding him up on the bottom step, as he glared up at Tristan.

"Oh! Heh, sorry, Akai..." he apologized as he went back, picking up the kitten. "Didn't know you wanted to come along..."

"Well, now you do..." Kaiba thought, shooting Tristan an irritated look.

Tristan laughed, "I'm sorry... really... I thought you wanted to stay down here..." he explained, as he brought the kitten upstairs with him.

"Where did you get that assumption?" Kaiba thought, while unconsciously nestling closer to him.

Tristan smiled, as he entered his room, and closed the door. After striding to his desk, he turned the lamp on. Then he flopped on his bed, giving Akai a small warm hug before letting him go. The CEO-turned-kitten hopped off Tristan's chest, and started to walk around on the bed. Then he gave Tristan a look.

"Alright? What are we doing...?" wondered Kaiba.

"See? This is why I thought you didn't wanna come along... I'm just gonna lay here..." Tristan informed the kitten.

Kaiba quirked a non-existant eyebrow, "what?"

Tristan shrugged, as he closed his eyes, his hands clasped behind his head. Kaiba sighed, as he sat down, looking around. The room was dimly lit with the lamp. The room was neat, nothing out of place. Nothing just laying around.

Kaiba glanced at Tristan. "So this is what that mutt must mean when he calls him 'Old Maid'..." he thought.And he smiled, it was actually pretty amusing.

Then he frowned. Tristan was trying to fall asleep already; someone so easygoing and almost lazy was unheard of. With determined look, Kaiba walked back towards him, climbing on his chest, and went right up to Tristan's face, glaring at him.

Tristan opened one eye. Then anime sweatdropped, as he opened both eyes, to see Akai fully. The brunette blinked in confusion, then smiled faintly.

"What's up, Akai?"

Kaiba continued to glare at him.

Tristan blinked, again. "What'd I do?"

"... No sleeping..." Kaiba thought.

The brunette blinked, once more. Then he tried to sigh in annoyance, which came out more of a weary chuckle. "I'm not ignoring you, Akai... I'm just tired... it's been a long week..." he said.

Kaiba blushed. Ignoring him? Wait. Was that was bothering him? Absorbing this new information, Kaiba sat back, as he thought it over.

Tristan anime sweatdropped, as he watched his kitten, who looked really deep in thought. The brunette was already certain his kitten wasn't average with his unusual gestures. And the way it was acting now, seemed to cinch it.

"What's up, Akai?" Tristan asked, lifting his hand.

Kaiba looked up, forgetting his thoughts, as he noticed his hand, and raised his head a bit more. With a smile, Tristan complied to the silent request, and lightly stroked the kitten's chin.

Then Tristan yawned, which earned him a glare from his kitten. The brunette laughed slightly, gently flicking his finger over Akai's ear, as he his other hand continued to pet his chin.

"Alright, I get it... no sleeping, no ignoring you... gotcha..." he murmured.

With a satisfied nod, Kaiba went back to enjoying the stroking and petting, purring softly..

Yep, most definitely getting too used to his new body. But the strange thing was Kaiba was beginning to care, less and less. He was liking this. Liking the fact that he got to take it easy, despite it was being done in a different form. Liking the fact that Tristan was a very easy-going guy, whom relaxed whenever the opportunity came up.

Which was beginning to rub off on Kaiba.

Then a low rumble came from outside. Tristan sat up, holding Akai, so the kitten wouldn't fall, as he looked out his window. Kaiba glanced at the window as well. They both got up in time to catch some lightning flashing in the darkened sky.

"Hm... whatta ya know? Weatherman was right this time..." Tristan commented, with a wry smile.

Thunder rumbled again.

Kaiba frowned. That sound was making him uneasy. Sure he was nowhere near being scared of thunder as a human. But his new size, and new sharper hearing and all, made some differences.

Lightning flashed again. A few more seconds, then the thunder sounded again.

Kaiba swallowed. That sound. So loud. Cringing, Kaiba couldn't help but unsheath his claws, digging them into Tristan's shirt, nestling closer to block out the thunder.

Tristan glanced down at Akai, confused. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, gently. He noticed the kitten's tail, which doubled in size, courtesy of the thunder. Or lightning. With a warm smile, the brunette wrapped both arms around the kitten, holding him close.

Kaiba felt a surge of security. He closed his eyes, purring.

Tristan chuckled, "your moodswings, again?"

Kaiba shot him a half-hearted glare. Which melted away a second later, as Tristan suddenly leaned down, resting his lips against the top of his head in a soft kiss. And the CEO-turned-kitten couldn't help but blush, and go back to relaxing, again.

Then there was knock on the door. Tristan blinked, looking up, "yeah?"

The door opened, and Mrs. Taylor peeked in, "Tristan?"

"What's up?" he asked.

"Blankey got out again..."

Tristan grimaced, "what? Now...?" he said, with a small frown. Then he stood up, putting Akai down on his bed, as he grabbed his coat. "That dog's such a pain sometimes..." he muttered.

"Tristan, if you want to stay home, you can... I can go out after Blankey..." Mrs. Taylor offered.

"No, mom... she's my dog, my responsibility..." Tristan replied. Then he smiled, "look, your preaching got through..."

"After how many years...?" she joked, shaking her head, in mock mourning.

Tristan snickered, as he walked back to his bed, picking up Akai, and handed his kitten to Mrs. Taylor. "Take care of him... he doesn't like thunder, apparently..." he told her.

Mrs. Taylor blinked, then nodded, holding Tristan's kitten carefully. And Kaiba frowned, as Tristan walked by, out the room. Mrs. Taylor followed him to the frontdoor, being sure to hold 'Akai' gently.

As Tristan was putting his shoes on, Kaiba felt a small ache in his chest. Then the brunette was walking out the door, and as the door closed, Kaiba suddenly felt very alone, again.

* * *

Nanaki: awwwwwwwww, too cute!

Yasuo: (_blinks_) wow, that was actually... kinda cute, I guess...

Nanaki: hey, I woulda reacted just like Kaiba! imagine getting held that close, getting looked straight in the eye, and being told you belong to someone! (_squeals_)

Yasuo: (_rolls his eyes_)

Nanashi: ... Tristan's favorite food is okonomiyaki...

Nanaki: (_blinks_) ... okonomiyaki?

Nanashi: (_nods_) yep, and he hates fermented soybeans

Nanaki: what's that? O.o;;;

Yasuo: (_snickers_) Kaiba likes beef filet with sauce... and he hates oden...

Nanaki: O.o;;; what's that...?

Nanashi: oden? I have no idea... (_shrugs_)


	7. Poor Blankey

"There's nothing to, uh... to, uh... aw, what's the word I'm lookin for...? Do." Brian, Family Guy. (Just something I got a kick out of.)  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Disclaimer: ... *Nanaki holds up two fingers... then starts to wave her arms around frantically, making weird facial expressions*  
  
Yasuo: uh... two words... first word... is, uh... hmmm... uh... waves? coral? monkies? amoebas? uh... toast? money? water? fire? *anime sweatdrops*  
  
Nanashi: *blinks*  
  
Nanaki: *pretends to tie something up*  
  
Yasuo: uh... bow! uh, tie? lasso? um, noose...? knot?  
  
Nanaki: *nods*  
  
Yasuo: Knot...? Oh, NOT!  
  
Nanaki: *points at a clock, madly*  
  
Yasuo: uh... minutes? Seconds? time!? *claps* Oh, hour!? Hours!  
  
Nanaki: ^_^ *nods, clapping in delight*  
  
Yasuo: NOT OURS!!! all of it, most likely...  
  
Nanashi: ............. *anime sweatdrops* that's one way to do it...  
  
Warnings: *Yasuo grins* and here I thought I was bad at Charades... *blinks* oh, warnings! Right... ahem, shounen-ai... and mild language, but that's about it.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Mr. Taylor was watching the news. Looking bored. Why he watched the news was beyond him. It just got him worrying. Then Tristan's father saw something red once again walk past the door. So, the man glanced over, seeing Tristan's new cat. Akai, wasn't it?  
  
The red kitten was pacing back and forth, in front of the small entrance. Actually pacing.  
  
"Hey, what's wrong, little guy?"  
  
Akai looked at him. For a second. Then went back to pacing. Waiting.  
  
Mr. Taylor leaned over, tilting his head. "You miss Tristan, already? It's only been a half an hour."  
  
The kitten looked at him, again. Then up at the clock. Akai sat there for a second. Then just went back to pacing, looking a little impatient.  
  
"Here, kitty, kitty, kitty... Tristan'll be home soon... you have to wait." Then Mr. Taylor anime sweatdropped, as the kitten glared at him. Okay, the kitten didn't like being told what to do, apparently.  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
Kaiba sighed, as he sat down, staring intently at the door. Until an old saying went through his head.  
  
"A watched pot never boils." Or in this case, "a watched door never has anyone come in."  
  
Kaiba shook his head, and started pacing again. He was silently cursing that dog. That damn, evil no-good mongrel for taking his Tristan away.  
  
Then Kaiba paused, realizing what he just considered Tristan.  
  
His.  
  
Thankful for his fur, Kaiba ducked his head, blushing darkly.  
  
He looked up at the clock again. Thirty-five minutes now. Time went slow when you were waiting for someone. He was no longer as nervous as he was earlier. The TV's noise drowning out the thunder. But the TV was only playing the news.  
  
Really depressing stuff. Kaiba scowled. How could people watch the news? All the news was good for was getting you good and depressed. And turning you into a worrier.  
  
"And, now we'll take a look at the stockmarket..." the newswoman said, cheerfully.  
  
Kaiba's ears perked up. He finally walked away from the door, looking up at the TV. He smiled inwardly seeing his corporation's stock appear on the screen.  
  
Alright, his stock was up. Even with his absence.  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
Mr. Taylor anime sweatdropped, as Akai was now watching TV. The impatient kitten who was waiting for Tristan was now staring intently at the TV, his tail twitching a bit. At the stockmarket no less.  
  
"Uhhh... buying, or selling, kitty?" he asked dryly.  
  
The kitten shot him a look. Then went back to watching the TV.  
  
After a few more moments of the stock market, the man yawned. "Well, that's boring..." he said, then changed the channel.  
  
Only to get another glare from the kitten. Then Akai glanced at the TV, again. The Matrix was on. Well, what were the odds of that?  
  
Mr. Taylor heard alot about this movie. Everyone had some pretty interesting things to say about it. So he decided to try and watch it for a bit.  
  
And it looked like Akai had no objections.  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
"Wow..." Kaiba thought, staring at the graphics.  
  
It wasn't the movie he was watching. It was the special effects. Half the time he was wondering how some scenes were managed like that. And the other half he was pondering about the technology that was used.  
  
Technology had always fascinated him.  
  
"I wonder if I can do that...?" Kaiba thought, watching the Neo character get some weird plug get inserted into the socket on the back of his head.  
  
Hm, it was a possibility. With the right equipment, and some time, Kaiba was pretty sure he could pull off something like that.  
  
Even better virtual reality than what he originally created.  
  
Then the front foor opened. Kaiba perked up, and walked over to the door, peering around the corner. Then stared, as the brunette he was waiting for, was removing his coat, hanging it on a hook. His shirt clinging to him like a second skin.  
  
Blankey standing next to him. She shook herself off, drenching Tristan even moreso. Tristan aimed a casual glare at this dog, who barked, almost innocently.  
  
"You're lucky I let Akai get away with that, Blankey... and you're also lucky I've a softspot for animals..." he said, dryly. Then he looked towards the door, down at the bottom of the doorframe.  
  
"Oh, hey Akai..." he said, shortly. Then blinked, as his kitten glared at him. And he turned and walked away.  
  
Tristan blinked, again. Strange. It was almost like Akai was angry with him. Just for leaving? Tristan removed his shoes, and walked after the kitten. Who was now sitting in front of the TV, watching The Matrix.  
  
Tristan glanced at his dad, "when did you start watching The Matrix?"  
  
"Well, you kids kept raving about it... I want to see what the big deal is..."  
  
"Mom won't let you in the room, huh?"  
  
Tristan grinned, while his dad glared at him, half-heartedly. Then the younger man flopped down in the easychair.  
  
"Tristan! You're getting the chair wet!"  
  
"It's just rain, dad..."  
  
"Is it wet?"  
  
Tristan blinked, "huh?"  
  
"Is it wet?"  
  
"Uh... yeah?"  
  
"Then it's getting the chair wet!  
  
Tristan pursed his lips for a moment, then smiled, wryly. "Go to bed, dad... you have work tomorrow, remember?"  
  
Mr. Taylor sighed, "fine, fine... but you're drying that chair off tomorrow..." he said, sternly. Tristan did a mock salute.  
  
"Yessir... it'll be dry by morning... scout's honor..."  
  
"Good." With that, the older man tossed the remote control to his son, and started for the stairs.  
  
Tristan smiled as he caught the remote, then sat it aside. The brunette glanced at Akai. Who was staring very hard at the TV. Wow, it was like Akai was really, actually angry at him.  
  
Tristan slid off the chair, crawling up to Akai, laying beside the kitten. "Hey... what's up?"  
  
The kitten looked away, almost peevishly. Tristan raised an eyebrow.  
  
"You're angry?"  
  
The kitten continued to stare the other way.  
  
Tristan pursed his lips, then shrugged. "Whatever I did, I'm sorry... mom step on your tail or something? Dad drop something on you? What?" he asked, confused.  
  
Then kitten still avoided eyecontact with the brunette.  
  
With a sigh, Tristan pulled himself to the other side of Akai, only to have the kitten look the other way. Tristan anime sweatdropped.  
  
Yep. No way was this kitten average.  
  
"Akai..."  
  
Still no response. With a small roll of his eyes, Tristan brought his arm around the kitten, pulling him close, nuzzling the kitten, playfully.  
  
Akai struggled to get out of the affectionate grasp. Then went still in defeat. It was kinda nice. Tristan smiled, stroking the kitten's chin with his finger.  
  
"Forgive me?"  
  
Akai aimed a small glare at him, then nuzzled Tristan in return. The brunette chuckled.  
  
"I'll take that as a 'yes'."  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
Well, that was unexpected way to ask for forgiveness. Kaiba had blushed considerably, but it had felt really nice, so forgiveness seemed to be the only option.  
  
"... Never leave me..." Kaiba thought, as he nuzzled the brunette. That lonely feeling only seemed stronger now that it returned while Kaiba wasn't lonely.  
  
Then the CEO-turned-kitten anime sweatdropped. Tristan was soaking wet!  
  
Kaiba then jumped out of his arms, shaking himself off, as well as he could. He wasn't as wet as after his bath, but he still hated the feeling of his fur clinging together, and weighing him down. Tristan blinked, then he grinned, rather devillishly.  
  
"Oh... little Akai still hates water, hm?"  
  
Kaiba blinked, then was grabbed by the brunette again.  
  
"Hey!" the kitten thought in alarm. Then struggled, as he was hugged firmly, getting more damp in the process. Kaiba was torn between two choices. Stay in the warm embrace. Or get soaked.  
  
Kaiba went with the latter, and struggled to get free. Unfortunately he was firmly in Tristan's arms, so Kaiba sighed in defeat, and accepted the warm, if not a little damp, hug.  
  
Kaiba then looked up the brunette. No glaring, just a simple look. The CEO's heart picked up a bit. Everything felt right, as he gazed up at Tristan. It felt right to be in this place, in these arms. He felt like he belonged.  
  
Tristan blinked, as the kitten stared at him, rather oddly. Tilting his head, Tristan lightly petted Akai's head.  
  
"Anything wrong?" he asked, gently.  
  
"No... not a thing," Kaiba thought.  
  
Then Blankey walked over, panting. She wanted to play, too. So she licked the new kitten in the face. Kaiba's eyes widened in horror as the pink slobbery tongue just got him soaking in canine saliva, again! He hissed, and unsheathing his claws, swiped at the dog.  
  
"DON'T DO THAT!" he shouted mentally at Blankey.  
  
Tristan laughed, as his kitten glared at the dog, who trotted away, panting with triumph.  
  
After a small yawn, Tristan examined his shirt. Still pretty wet. Not as cold as it used to be though. All of his clothes was still pretty damp. A warm kinda damp. A little uncomfortable.  
  
So Tristan go to his feet, stretching. Then he reached for the remote, switching the TV off, then he walked to the doors, locking them. And then he started for the kitchen, turning the lights off. Blankey and Akai following him. Once at the stairs, Tristan picked up the red-haired kitten, since he learned his lesson, and carried Akai to his room.  
  
Blankey following.  
  
Once Tristan sat Kaiba on the bed, gently, the CEO-turned-kitten walked up to the pillow, curling up into a tight ball, his tail reaching his face.  
  
Tristan smiled, faintly. "Cute..." he commented. The kitten opened one deep blue eye, watching him for a second. Then the eye closed again, sleepily. "Well, as much as I'd like to go to sleep right away, I need a shower."  
  
Akai suddenly sat up, wide awake, watching Tristan almost intently. Tristan anime sweatdropped.  
  
What was this kitten?  
  
"Heh, uh... Blankey watch the little hentai, alright?" he muttered to the dog, cocking a thumb at the strangely perverted cat.  
  
Akai dropped his head down, almost sheepishly. Blankey walked to the bed, and curled up on the rug beside the bed, watching the red-haired kitten intently. Earning a glare from the feline, in the process.  
  
Tristan grinned, but nodded his approval and left, heading for the bathroom.  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
"I'm not hentai..." Kaiba thought, as he paced back and forth. Then he stopped, and sat down, tilting his head, thoughtfully. "Am I?"  
  
Okay, maybe a bit.  
  
Being this small with the human amount of hormones, that had to be the reason his mind was a little more... perverted, than when he was his normal species. It was the only explanation Kaiba could come up with. New size, same amount of hormones. Yes, that had to be it.  
  
Kaiba yawned, then curled up on the bed, sleepily. Too tired. How did it go? Cats had to have eighteen hours of sleep, or so.  
  
"Easily taken care of..." Kaiba thought, his eyes closing, slowly.  
  
Then he was licked in the face, again!  
  
Kaiba's eyes shot open, staring into the panting mouth of Blankey! Seeing that huge lolled out pink tongue, and feeling dog slobber on his face hit the very last of Kaiba's nerves.  
  
"Alright! That's it, mutt!" Kaiba hissed.  
  
Blankey seemed to catch onto the rage that the CEO-turned-kitten was emitting. She turned tail and flew from the room. Kaiba jumped off the bed, tumbling a bit, and started after the canine.  
  
"GET BACK HERE!"  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
Tristan blinked, as he shut off the water, hearing barking, meowing, hissing, growling. And the occasional yelp and yowl.  
  
Pulling on some sweatpants, and a t-shirt, Tristan unlocked the bathroom door, and headed towards the noise. He figured Blankey and Akai weren't in the 'friends' department, yet.  
  
"Blankey... leave Akai..." Tristan anime sweatdropped, "alone?"  
  
Blankey was standing on the coffeetable, while Akai was standing on the floor, leaping for the dog. All twenty claws unsheathed, and every single red strand of fur was on end, in pure anger. Blankey was whimpering, Akai hissing and growling at her, swinging his claws at her as he jumped.  
  
The brunette scratched the back of his neck, staring at the scene.  
  
With a shake of his head, he walked closer, scooping up his kitten in mid- jump; then he grabbed Blankey's collar.  
  
"Down..." he said, firmly.  
  
Blankey seemed to be satisfied that the insane cat was with her master now, so she obeyed. But made sure to stay at a safe distance from the kitten who seemed to have a problem with anger management.  
  
Akai was swinging his claws at the dog, still growling and hissing.  
  
Tristan anime sweatdropped again, "hey, settle down..."  
  
Akai stopped, then slowly looked up at Tristan. Only to be looked at, with an eyebrow raised in question. Then the kitten ducked his head, almost in embarrassment.  
  
Tristan laughed, and sat down on the couch's arm, lightly petting Blankey. "Told you to leave him alone..." he scolded the dog, affectionately. Then he glanced at the kitten in his arm, smiling warmly, "he's not average... too fiesty to be scared of a dog bigger than he is."  
  
Akai continued to keep his head down. Blankey seemed a little indifferent, as she went back to inspecting the kitten. Then got a vicious glare, a paw raised, all claws out in the open, in a very threatening manner.  
  
Pursing his lips, Tristan placed a hand on the kitten's paw, lowering the 'deadly weapon'. Then he smiled as he stood up.  
  
"Right... well, I guess a shower wouldn't be a good idea... so, sleep, I guess."  
  
Akai nodded. So they started back for Tristan's room.  
  
He then sat the kitten on his bed, and pulled off his t-shirt. Then glanced at the kitten, just in case. He smiled faintly in amusement, as Akai was trying to occupy himself with a piece of thread from the blanket.  
  
Tristan tossed the t-shirt aside, and crawled on the bed, laying beside the kitten. "You're still a hentai, Akai..." he teased.  
  
Akai glared at him, then looked embarrassed and turned back to the thread.  
  
"Don't worry... very few perverts can be cute at the same time..." he assured the cat, as he petted him, affectionately.  
  
The compliment seemed to make the teasing more bearable, as Akai nuzzled Tristan's chin, purring softly. Tristan smiled.  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
It was quiet. Tristan just petting Kaiba, the room dimly lit with the warm glow of the lamp on the desk. And Blankey was sitting on the floor, staring at her master, and the angry kitten. a little curiously.  
  
Kaiba glared at her. "Touch me, mutt, and I will make you regret it..." he thought. She was panting, almost looking amused. Which of course irritated Kaiba to no end.  
  
Then he was pulled close, back into the warm embrace of the brunette. Kaiba instantly grew relaxed, that familiar scent, the warm body, the strong heartbeat. His eyes grew heavy. The whole relaxing thing only got easier with Tristan's assistance.  
  
"G' night, Akai..." Tristan murmured, softly.  
  
Kaiba mewed softly in response. Then smiled inwardly as he was pulled closer.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Nanaki: le drool!!! TO BE IN KAIBA'S SHOES!!!  
  
Yasuo: ... Kaiba's not wearing shoes...  
  
Nanaki: *anime sweatdrops* you know what I mean...  
  
Yasuo: ... pervert...  
  
Nanaki: *drools somemore* JUST IMAGINE A HALF-NAKED TRISTAN! AND GETTING TO LAY IN HIS ARMS!!! *squeals, then faints*  
  
Yasuo: *looks down at Nanaki* ......... you're a weird one...  
  
Nanashi: *blushing* ummm, right... I embarrass easily... and sorry for the long wait... had things to take care of... *bows in apology* 


	8. How'd He Know?

Disclaimer: nuh-uh! Not ours! Not mine! Not Nana-chan's! Not Ya-kun's!!!  
  
Yasuo: where did the 'Ya-kun' come from, anyways?  
  
Nanaki: ^___^  
  
Nanashi: ahem... warnings...?  
  
Warnings: huh? oh..! Uhhhhhh, mold language, and shounen-ai... and some OOCness...  
  
Nanaki: MOLD!!! *laughs hysterically*  
  
Yasuo: *anime sweatdrops* I meant 'mild'...  
  
Nanashi: *snickers* oh yeah... not too many Honda/Kaiba moments here, since Joey and Yugi arrive *bows* gomen... oh yeah, Bakura and Malik too... that's where the OOCness came from v.v()  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Kaiba yawned, hearing someone come in. Which he chose to ignore. No way was he going to allow someone to disturb the perfect night's sleep he was having.  
  
Saturday, wasn't it?  
  
And he was actually sleeping in?  
  
It was a truly great feeling. If only he did this more often.  
  
He stood up, stretching a bit, then curled back up into a little ball. Making sure to stay close to Tristan.  
  
Then he was suddenly plucked out Tristan's arms.  
  
"What the...!?" he thought, in alarm.  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
"Wakey wakey..."  
  
Tristan grunted. Only to have his nose poked.  
  
"Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey..."  
  
Tristan cringed, pulling his pillow over his head, "go away..." he growled. Then had his pillow, which was over his head, smacked a bit.  
  
"I said, 'WAKE UP'!!!"  
  
Tristan growled, and sat up, swinging the pillow. Smacking... someone in the face.  
  
"ACK!"  
  
THUD!  
  
Tristan rubbed his eyes, yawning. Then he looked down at the floor, seeing Joey sitting there, looking a little dizzy from the hard hit of the pillow. Now only Tristan could hit someone that hard, with a pillow no less.  
  
Joey was on his feet, glaring at the brunette. "YA DOOFUS! WHAT'D YA HIT ME FOR?!"  
  
Tristan shrugged, raising his arms over his head, stretching. Then got smacked in the face with the same pillow he hit Joey with.  
  
WHUMP!  
  
"HEY!"  
  
Tristan sat up, glaring at the blonde. Then he jumped, looking around hastily, after getting a thought. "... Akai!" he said, sounding anxious as he looked around for the kitten.  
  
Joey rolled his eyes, holding the kitten out to his best friend. "This the fleabag you're missing?"  
  
"Akai!" Tristan grabbed the kitten, and glared slightly at Joey. "How 'bout a little warning before you decide to take my cat!"  
  
Joey raised an eyebrow. Then shook his head, "you worry for that fleabag too much..."  
  
Akai glared at Joey, in annoyance.  
  
Tristan sighed, "maybe... who can blame me?"  
  
"I can..."  
  
Tristan rolled his eyes, "what do you want, Joe?"  
  
Joey shrugged, "I'm bored..."  
  
Tristan glanced at the digital clock on his desk, then anime sweatdropped. "Yeah, getting up at 10:34am, on a SATURDAY can do that...!" he said, dryly.  
  
Joey sighed, "you don't have to tell me the time... you think I like getting up this early?"  
  
"You think I like when you wake me up, just because you got up this early?" the taller teenager asked, with a raised eyebrow.  
  
Joey grinned, "yeah?"  
  
Tristan rolled his eyes, sitting the kitten aside, as he swung his legs over, off the bed. He yawned again, rubbing the back of his neck, tiredly. "Seriously, what do you want?"  
  
"Your mom said I should wake you up... she went to visit your sister, and your dad's at work, and..." Joey paused, as he tried to remember what else he had to tell the brunette.  
  
Tristan pursed his lips, waiting.  
  
Joey grinned, snapping his fingers, "and that your mom left a to-do list for you, on the kitchen table..."  
  
Tristan grimaced, "what?"  
  
"Your mom said I should..."  
  
"Never mind..."  
  
Joey snickered, while Tristan stood up, grabbing a t-shirt.  
  
"What kinda to-do things?" he asked, pulling on the t-shirt. Joey shrugged. Tristan rolled his eyes, and shoved Joey aside playfully, and headed for the door.  
  
Then Akai meowed. Tristan blinked, "Oh, whoops..." then he went back, picking up the kitten.  
  
Joey raised an eyebrow, "man... that cat has you completely pussy- whipped..." Then he started to laugh at his joke.  
  
Tristan anime sweatdropped, while his kitten glared at the blonde again; then the brunette casually walked back to Joey. And smacked him upside the head.  
  
"ACK!"  
  
Tristan glanced down at Akai, grinning, "how was that?"  
  
Akai nodded, somewhat enthusiastically.  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
Tristan sighed, plucking up the list, while putting his bowl in the sink, and started to read it.  
  
"Tristan, I'd really appreciate if you did the following... give Blankey a bath, clean the livingroom and kitchen, buy some milk, cheese, and butter. And take out the trash. Thanks, love mom."  
  
With a sigh, Tristan folded the note, putting in the pocket of his jeans, and glanced down at Akai. Who was now currently pushing the bowl across the floor, while trying to get every drop of milk. Grinning, Tristan reached down, picking up the bowl and Akai.  
  
"Gotta learn when to stop, lil' guy..."  
  
Akai looked a little disappointed, again. Then proceeded to lick the milk on his paws off.  
  
Joey looked up from his cereal, "so, what do you gotta do, today?"  
  
"Blankey needs a bath, housecleaning, and some shopping," Tristan answered.  
  
"So... nothing fun today, huh?"  
  
"Nope, guess not... I think visitors are comin by, that's why she wants the house cleaned up..."  
  
"Hn... well, have fun... I gotta get going," Joey said, standing up and making a brisk stride for the door. Only to have the collar of his t-shirt grabbed.  
  
"Hang on, buddy, pal, chum... best friend o' mine..." Tristan said, smirking.  
  
Joey anime sweatdropped, slowly glancing back at the taller boy, "huh?"  
  
"Care to assist me today?"  
  
"Uh..."  
  
"C' mon, buddy... I promise you won't regret it..."  
  
Joey raised an eyebrow, "meaning...?"  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
Kaiba felt a pang of jealousy. He wasn't enjoying the exchange between Tristan and Joey. At all. Just the way Tristan was looking at Joey was getting on Kaiba's nerves.  
  
"Alright, I'm jealous... so sue me," he thought, angerly. Jealousy was not something he felt often. But it was most definitely becoming a feeling he didn't like.  
  
"C' mon, buddy... I promise you won't regret it..." Tristan said, his voice a little too suggestive for Kaiba's liking.  
  
Joey eyed Tristan, suspiciously, "meaning...?"  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
"You help me, I'll treat you to dinner... three large pizzas, with everything on it... how's that?" Tristan said, cheerfully.  
  
Joey thought about it. For a split-second, then grinned. "Sure thing...!"  
  
Then both boys heard a very faint thump.  
  
Both of them glanced down at he floor, seeing Akai lying on the floor. All four legs sticking up, looking like he just fell over in disbelief.  
  
"What's with him?" Joey asked, slowly.  
  
Tristan anime sweatdropped, "no clue..."  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
"Trash... thought it was gonna be easy..." Joey grunted, as he struggled to drag the pair of heavy trashcans to the curb. "Damn Tris' and his reverse psychology...!" he spat.  
  
"Hey, Joey..."  
  
Joey looked up, "huh... oh, hey Yuge!"  
  
Yugi smiled brightly, "I thought you might be here..." Then he looked at the two trashcans, which were just about halfway down the Taylor's driveway. Joey looking flushed, and was panting, while tugging at them, one at a time.  
  
"Having fun?" he asked, lightly.  
  
"Oh, loads... care to join?"  
  
"Um, no thanks..." Yugi said, with a shake of his head. "What're you doing?"  
  
"Tris' asked me to help with his chores t'day... who am I to deny my friends a favor?"  
  
Yugi tilted his head, placing his hands on his hips, "two pizzas with the works?"  
  
"Yuge, I'm offended!" Joey gasped, his hand against his chest, in mock... offense.  
  
The smaller boy raised an eyebrow curiously, while smiling faintly.  
  
"Shows how well you know me, Yuge..." the blonde boy sniffed. Then he grinned, holding up three fingers, "three pizzas..."  
  
Yugi laughed. Then he walked up to the neglected trashcan, and started pulling on it, "I guess this can my good deed for the day..."  
  
"Thanks..." Joey said, with a nod.  
  
"No problem..." Yugi replied.  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
"... When's the last time mom dusted...?" Tristan wondered, then sneezed as more dust flew down over him. "Okay, that's it..." he muttered, stepping back from the dusty bookshelf, while rubbing his eyes.  
  
Then he glanced at Kaiba/Akai, who was sitting on the coffeetable, watching him, his head tilted.  
  
"What?" the brunette asked, slowly. Then he lifted his head, indignantly, "I'll have you know, it's very macho for a man to dust the furniture..."  
  
Akai looked a little amused at the statement. "Suuuuuure it is..." Kaiba thought, smiling inwardly.  
  
"I guess that'll have to wait..." Tristan muttered, "the prospect of sneezing my head off isn't too appealing, so..." He turned, and walked out of the livingroom, to the hallcloset. Then he returned, carrying in a vaccum cleaner.  
  
Kaiba blinked, watching Tristan plug in the machine. Then he turned it on.  
  
The loud noise suddenly terrifying the kitten. He was suddenly puffier, jumping on Tristan's leg, clamboring up his body.  
  
"Ack! Hey...!" Tristan protested. Then turned off the vacuum hastily, as he quickly grabbed Akai, and held him. He sighed, slightly. "Sorry... forgot... no loud noises," he murmured, gently petting his red-haired kitten with his thumb.  
  
Kaiba cringed, feeling foolish yet again. Until the petting began.  
  
"Awwwww, too cute..." Joey joked.  
  
Tristan glanced over to the livingroom's doorway, seeing Joey, Yugi at his side. "Hey, Yugi... when'd you get here?" he asked, confused.  
  
Yugi smiled, "just a minute ago..." Then he looked around, "need help with your chores?"  
  
Joey anime sweatdropped, "you offer him your help, whereas I had to beg for it...?"  
  
Yugi laughed, "you didn't beg."  
  
"A little extra help would be great, Yugi..." Tristan said, with a nod.  
  
"You have to order some hamburgers to go with those three pizzas," the small duelist bargained, with an innocent smile.  
  
Tristan blinked, since Yugi didn't seem like the type to make deals. Then he thought about it, didn't seem so hard. So he shrugged, "well... I guess... sure thing."  
  
Yugi nodded, "alright then... so, what should I do?"  
  
"You can help me clean the livingroom, Joey can wash the dishes..."  
  
"Whaat!? Tris', I hate doing dishes! I'll trade you!" Joey declared.[1]  
  
"But, I..."  
  
"Nope, no way... I'll vacuum, you do dishes..." Joey ordered. "Besides, I don't think Akai'll like you usin the vacuum..."  
  
Yugi grinned, "good point... is Akai scared of the vacuum?" he asked.  
  
"I'm not scared of it!" Kaiba thought, annoyed. "It just surprised me, that's all..." Then he raised an invisible eyebrow, Joey had actually used the name Tristan gave him. He called him Akai.  
  
Hm, Tristan's friends didn't seem so bad now.  
  
"... Fine..." Tristan finally conceded, then he smirked. "Then you can give Blankey a bath," he added, slyly. Yugi laughed, while Joey anime sweatdropped.  
  
"TRISTAN!"  
  
"Alright, alright... just joking, relax..."  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
Joey grunted as he dashed around the coffeetable, pushing the vaccum under it, making sure to get every crumb, every hair, every strand of fur! Everything!  
  
Until the vaccum got stuck under the table.  
  
Joey blinked, then tugged at the vacuum, only to drag the table along with it. With a roll of his eyes, he lifted his leg, placing his foot under the table's edge and lifted it, then pulled out the vaccum.  
  
Yugi anime sweatdropped, as Joey dashed around the couch and started vacuuming back there, next. The smaller duelist sighed, and pushed the coffeetable back in its place. Then he blinked, as Joey was then pushing the couch aside, to get underneath it.  
  
Well, Joey had an interesting way of doing things, didn't he?  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
"Melted cheese... is... the devil..." Tristan griped, as he proceeded to try and scrape off the mozzerella on the bottom of the casserole dish. Akai was on his shoulder, watching.  
  
"Ugh... fine, I surrender!" Tristan then declared, as he tossed the dishrag back in the sink. He sighed, trying to think of something else to do. Then he remembered the small shopping list, so he nodded, "right, shopping..."  
  
Running up the stairs, two at a time, he was in his room, grabbing some money off his dresser. Then glanced out his bedroom window. It was a pretty nice day, no coat needed. He grinned, glancing at Akai, "you coming, or staying?"  
  
Akai shot him a look, almost looking offended that Tristan asked.  
  
Tristan anime sweatdropped, "uh, sorry...?"  
  
"Better be..." Kaiba thought, then smiled at himself. He was getting to like Tristan's instant apologizing. Even if he didn't know why, he still said 'sorry'.  
  
Pocketing the cash, Tristan walked back out of his room, down the stairs. Doing a quick glance out a kitchen window to the backyard, there was Blankey, sleeping peacefully. So the brunette made a beeline for the frontdoor.  
  
"Guys... I have to go pick up some stuff, so... you mind watching the place?" Tristan asked, as he started pulling on his shoes, glancing at Joey and Yugi in the livingroom.  
  
"Not at all," Yugi said, cheerfully.  
  
"Picking up some sodas, or something?" Joey asked, curiously.  
  
Tristan anime sweatdropped, "not necessarily... but, uh... I can?"  
  
Joey nodded, "cool..."  
  
Tristan sighed, he was definitely gonna be broke after this one day was over. But then again, he did have his bank account. Might help to dip into that.  
  
"By the way, Akai's coming with me..." Tristan told them.  
  
"Big surprise..." Joey said, with a grin. "Seriously, I think you are whipped..."  
  
Tristan pursed his lips, while Akai glared at the blonde, again. Tristan then reached down, grabbing a rag, that was used for wiping the table, and threw it at Joey, which landed in his hair. Joey scowled, glaring at the brunette with his eye that wasn't covered. Tristan gave Joey a simple grin as he turned to the door, "later, be back in a few minutes..."  
  
Yugi was smiling as Joey pulled the rag from his hair, "right... see you later..."  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
"... Pussy-whipped..." Tristan muttered, with a shake of his head. "Joey's gotta strange sense of humour..."  
  
Kaiba watched the brunette, curiously. "You're not letting him get to you, are you?" he wondered.  
  
"... I have my pride, Akai... I don't like to be considered someone's doormat..."  
  
"Some pride... you talk to animals..." Kaiba thought, then realized he was teasing him. He grinned to himself. Shame he wasn't human. Tristan's reaction might've been funny to witness.  
  
"And just because I talk to my pets doesn't mean I have little pride..." Tristan went on, as if reading Kaiba's thoughts. "I'm just being generous..." he sniffed, pretending to be haughty.  
  
Kaiba smiled inwardly.  
  
After a few minutes, they reached the corner store. Tristan anime sweatdropped, and glanced at Akai. Then at the sign, 'No Pets Allowed'.  
  
"Damn... I can't believe I forgot," the brunette murmured, softly. He scratched the back of his head, as he thought. Mr. Calhoun loved animals, but after some incidents he had to make his store pet-free.  
  
"Tristan."  
  
Tristan glanced over his shoulder, then blinked. Malik Ishtar. He ran into some pretty unexpected people at this particular store. Malik was no exception.  
  
"Malik... hi, what're you doing here?"  
  
"Store down the street doesn't have lentils... I assumed this place might..."  
  
Tristan cocked an eyebrow, "lentils?" Then he blinked, in realization, "oh yeah... you're a vegetarian, aren't you?"  
  
Malik pursed his lips, "how'd you find that out?"  
  
Tristan rolled his eyes, "oh you know... someone who sounded supiciously like you at lunch the other day, once said 'disgusting flesh of animals', and that tends to reveal their eating habits... particularly yours..."  
  
Malik smirked, "ha ha..." Then he raised an eyebrow, lavender eyes gaining a little curious spark, as he pointed at the red kitten on the brunette's shoulder, "what is that?"  
  
Tristan blinked, glancing at Akai, who was glaring a bit at Malik. "Uhhh, this is a cat... also known as a feline... they have superb recuperating skills, so many believe that cats have 9 lives, and..."  
  
Malik anime sweatdropped, "you think you're funny, don't you?"  
  
Tristan grinned, "on very rare occasions, yes..."  
  
Kaiba smirked, inwardly. "Egyptian's worship cats... bow to me!" he thought. Then he started to laugh, mentally. The image of Malik on his knees, bowing to him, as well as Tristan, was actually pretty amusing.  
  
"Why'd you bring a cat? They're not allowed in stores," Malik asked, as he lifted his hand towards the kitten.  
  
Kaiba scowled, and batted his finger away. Which left Malik kind of surprised. Touchy cat, or what?  
  
"It slipped my mind..." Tristan was answering, with a shrug.  
  
"Are you that absent-minded?" asked Malik, his eyebrow raised.  
  
"Not always... I guess I'm just having a really off-day..." Tristan said, with a sigh. Then he eyed Malik, and grinned, "hey, we've been friends for a while now, right?"  
  
"........... If we have, I haven't received the notice," Malik retorted, dryly.  
  
Tristan rolled his eyes, then held Akai out to Malik. "Can you watch him for me? I'll get you your lentils," he offered.  
  
Malik stared at the red-haired kitten, in distaste, then glared up at the taller teenager. "Are you asking me for a favor?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"... We aren't friends, Tristan."  
  
Tristan pursed his lips, "okay then..." he said, slowly. Then he grinned, "then just consider it being a good deed... you are a boy scout, right?"  
  
Malik clenched his hands into fists, "no, I'm not!" he snapped. Tristan laughed. Getting on Malik's nerves was getting to be a pretty fun past- time.  
  
"Look, just take him, and I'll get you your stuff, okay?" Tristan said, shortly.  
  
Kaiba anime sweatdropped as he was placed in Malik's hands. Then Tristan walked into the store, getting greeted by the man behind the register.  
  
Kaiba scowled, then noticed he was just hanging there in Malik's hands.  
  
Malik was holding him, almost at arm-length's away. Staring at him, uncertainly. Kaiba pursed his lips, as he struggled a bit. This was not the most comfortable way to be held. His hindlegs dangling, his forelegs being pushed up so they were against the sides of his head.  
  
"Can you put me down?" Kaiba thought, twisting slightly. "I'd hate to see you holding a child." He glared at the Egyptian in obvious annoyance.  
  
"Stop moving..." Malik snapped.  
  
"Then put me down!" Kaiba shot back, mentally. "Or at least hold me a little better."  
  
Then Malik glanced around, sighing. Then raised an eyebrow, "well, small world."  
  
Kaiba blinked, glancing to where Malik was looking. Then he frowned, slightly. Ryou?  
  
"It's good to see you, too..." the silver-haired boy said, smirking faintly. His voice a little rougher than the soft-spoken Ryou's. "What made you say that?"  
  
Must have been the spirit of Ryou's ring. Or however it was explained.  
  
Malik nodded towards the store's etrance, "Tristan's inside."  
  
Bakura's smirk grew a bit, "is there a particular reason for you to be waiting for him here?"  
  
Malik glared at him, "I don't like what you're implying..." he spat. Then Bakura noticed the kitten that Malik was holding so awkwardly.  
  
"What the hell is that?"  
  
"It's called a kitten... the younger version of a cat, also known as a feline, and they have superb recuperating skills..." Malik started, mimicking Tristan.  
  
Bakura frowned, ignoring Malik's taunting, and took the kitten, "who taught you how to hold animals?" he demanded.  
  
Malik put his hands on his hips, "and when did you become such an expert?"  
  
"...... It's common-knowledge... one doesn't hold a cat as if it were disease-ridden," the tombrobber retorted. Malik frowned.  
  
Kaiba sighed, slightly. He was always getting passed around! But... he was a little more comfortable at least. Then he was suddenly being examined by Malik.  
  
"I'm... getting an odd feeling, from this cat..." he said, slowly. Then he tilted his head, still watching the kitten, intently.  
  
"Odd feeling?" Bakura echoed, actually sounding a little confused.  
  
Kaiba fidgeted. Malik's staring was actually getting a little nerve- racking. Those chilly lavender eyes, staring hard into Kaiba's deep blue eyes. Almost seeing in Kaiba's mind, even.  
  
Then Malik's eyes widened, slightly. "Set... the keeper of the Millennium Rod," he whispered.  
  
Kaiba's eyes widened, in shock, "What!?"  
  
Bakura was watching the exchange, looking bored. Until Malik called the kitten Set. Which was when Bakura frowned, "what?"  
  
"... Set's spirit... or rather, his reincarnated spirit is in this cat," Malik explained.  
  
Bakura snorted, "Set's already been reincarnated, Malik... remember the mortal, Seto Kaiba?"  
  
Malik nodded, glaring up at Bakura, slightly. "Of course I remember!" he snapped, getting irritated. "But Set's spirit is in this cat."  
  
"Set's spirit is already reborn, living as Seto Kaiba, Malik."  
  
"Idiot! You're not listening to a word I'm saying!" Malik growled, pointing at the wide-eyed kitten. "This kitten has Set's spirit! Set was reincarnated at Seto Kaiba! This kitten is Seto Kaiba!"  
  
Kaiba stared at the Egyptian in astonishment. Then felt his heart lift. He was finally discovered! Now maybe there was a way to fix things!  
  
Then the CEO-turned-kitten's heart fell, slightly. He would have to go back to being Seto Kaiba, cold, heartless, distant CEO of KaibaCorp., with a hundred problems to deal with per day.  
  
And that was if Tristan found out? Kaiba's ears twitched, ignoring Malik and Bakura's arguing. What were the chances of Tristan finding out, courtesy of Malik and Bakura?  
  
"I'm telling you, this is Seto Kaiba!" Malik was saying, still trying to convince Bakura.  
  
"What's Seto Kaiba?" Tristan's voice asked.  
  
Kaiba's heart dropped, further.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
[1] DEATH TO DISH-WASHING!!! er, sorry, heh... it only seemed right to hate dishes... heh, ahem... v.v()  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
Nanaki: *gasps* NOOOOOOO!!! MALIK! BAKURA!!! SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT IT UP! JUST SHUT UP! SHUT UP!!!  
  
Yasuo: *sings softly* we tried to take it slow, but we're still losin control... and we try to make it work, but it still ends up the worse... and I'm crazy...  
  
Nanashi: *sings* I'm tryin to be a lady... I think I'm going crazy...  
  
Nanaki: *anime sweatdrops* uhhh...  
  
Nanashi & Yasuo: *shrugs*  
  
Nanashi: that song belongs to Black-Eyed Peas, not me. And it's called "Shut Up", and it's a very cool song, I like it ^_^  
  
Nanaki: *whips out a steel mallet* MALIK! BAKURA!!! SHUT UP!!! *charges away, to find Malik and Bakura, swinging the mallet insanely*  
  
Yasuo: ........ you should fix her...  
  
Nanashi: *shrugs* Nanaki...?  
  
Nanaki: *battle cries while looking under chairs, under tables, and looking in closets*  
  
Nanashi: ....... Kaiba's gonna be human soon...  
  
Nanaki: ..... *blinks* human...?  
  
Nanashi: *nods*  
  
Nanaki: ............... *squeals* WAI!!! WAI! WAI! WAI! WAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!! *dances in circles* WAI! WAI! WAI! *glomps Ya-kun* WAI, NE, YA-KUN!?  
  
Yasuo: *rolls his eyes* yeah, "wai"... *struggles* now, leggo! 


	9. He's Back

Disclaimer: nope, same ol', same ol'! not Nana-chan's! Ya-kun's! Or mine! none of it! ^_^  
  
Warnings: shounen-ai... more or less... and watch for mild language, too  
  
Nanashi: another professional way of doing things! Yay, guys! *applauds*  
  
Yasuo: *bows*  
  
Nanaki: *blushes, and bows*  
  
Nanashi: .... my hamster died...  
  
Nanaki: what!? when!?  
  
Yasuo: you had a hamster?  
  
Nanashi: *nods sadly* I'll miss him... *sniffles*  
  
Nanaki: awwwwww, there there, Nana-chan! *huggles Nana-chan*  
  
Yasuo: ........ *rolls his eyes* ... girls...  
  
Nanashi & Nanaki: *glare at Yasuo*  
  
Yasuo: ........ *anime sweatdrops, and grins innocently* I feel your pain...?  
  
Nanashi: *nods* you better...  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Kaiba quickly whipped his head around, eyes widening, spotting Tristan.  
  
His eyebrow was raised, a plastic bag of groceries slung over his shoulder, and his thumb was hooked in the beltloop of his jeans. And the brunette was watching Bakura and Malik, looking a little confused.  
  
Malik then pointed at the feline-ish CEO, "hey, what happened, exactly?" he asked.  
  
Tristan blinked, as he walked over, "what?"  
  
Kaiba started to struggle. Then scowled and swiped at Malik's hand.  
  
"ACK!" Malik yelped, as he whipped his hand away from the moody kitten. "Geez, what's his problem?"  
  
Tristan tossed Malik a bag of lentils, then turned to Bakura, his hand out to take back Akai. "He's a little tempermental..." he answered.  
  
Bakura shrugged, handing the kitten back.  
  
"So what happened?" Malik asked, again.  
  
Tristan blinked, as he held Akai, "what?"  
  
"What happened to him?"  
  
Kaiba shifted uncomfortably.  
  
"To the cat?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Tristan anime sweatdropped, "uh, not much...?"  
  
Bakura rolled his eyes. "He means what made him like that," he informed the taller teenager. Malik nodded, in confirmation.  
  
Tristan pursed his lips, "say what?"  
  
"What made him like that?"  
  
"What made who like what?"  
  
"Him... Kaiba," Bakura responded, pointing at the kitten. Tristan's eyebrow was again raised, then he looked down at the kitten, even more confused.  
  
Kaiba's heart nearly stopped. He looked up at Tristan, instantly feeling like an idiot, all over again. And no amount of comfort from Tristan could possibly fix it. That stare. The CEO couldn't stand it.  
  
He struggled, getting out of the brunette's arms; once on the ground, he just ran not even bothering to gather his bearings after the long drop. He just ran. Didn't matter to where. Kaiba was just certain he didn't want to deal with Tristan's stares, and questions.  
  
"Akai!"  
  
Kaiba ignored him. This wasn't him. He couldn't stay this way. Not anymore. Seto Kaiba wasn't dependent. Seto Kaiba was cold, heartless, strong. Not weak and in need of someone to care for him. He wasn't like that!  
  
He could never be like that.  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
"Him... Kaiba," Malik had said.  
  
Tristan's eyes widened, in astonishment. Then he looked down at the kitten. Those huge blue eyes staring up at him. Almost looking ashamed.  
  
Seto Kaiba?  
  
It all actually made sense. There was always this sense of familarity Tristan had when watching the kitten. The defiance, the need to prove his independence. The annoyance when he was told what to do. Just the intensity the kitten had was enough for Tristan to notice that the kitten was actually very familiar to the brunette.  
  
Then Kaiba, or Akai, started struggling, breaking out of Tristan's hold. Even after getting a little shaken from his jump, Akai still ran.  
  
"Akai!"  
  
Tristan stared after the kitten, watching him run. His heart went out to him. Poor little guy. A part of him wanted to run after the kitten, console him, comfort him. Just be there for him.  
  
But another part of him was telling him to stay put. If that kitten was Seto Kaiba, he had pride. A lot of it. And pity was the last thing a prideful person could ever want.  
  
Bakura and Malik were staring, too.  
  
"What got into him?" Malik asked.  
  
Bakura scowled at the Egyptian. "Do you know the meaning of the word 'subtle'?" he asked, dryly.  
  
"Yes... 'Subtle means delicate, slight; not noticeable; difficult to define, put into words,'" Malik retorted, calmly.  
  
Bakura rolled his eyes.  
  
Tristan shook his head, ignoring the pair, as he started for home. He had things to drop off. Then he had a kitten to find.  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
Kaiba sighed, as he wandered the streets. Having no destination was getting on his nerves.  
  
Going home was out of the question. And Tristan's obviously wasn't an option after running from him.  
  
The kitten finally just gave up on walking, and sat down. His tail curling neatly around him, as he glanced up the street. Then down the street. His ears drooped slightly, as he let his head fall forward, glumly.  
  
Another sigh was released. Then Kaiba frowned at himself.  
  
"You're being pathetic..." he told himself, annoyed. "It's not like I could've stayed... things wouldn't have been the same if I stayed with Tristan, and he knew who I was."  
  
Kaiba tilted his head, as he thought about it.  
  
Would Tristan have treated him differently if he knew he was Seto Kaiba?  
  
A very small part of him was saying "no". But that part was being told to shut up by a larger portion of Kaiba's common sense. As well as his pessimism.  
  
Kaiba stood up, lowering his head, and started to pace back and forth, as he thought. Go back, or keep walking. Back, or stay? He sat down again, his tail once again curling around him. Offering a bit of comfort.  
  
"... Not the way Tristan can, though..." Kaiba thought, staring at his tail. Then he anime sweatdropped, and shook his head. "Get over it... nothing would've happened!" he said to himself, bitterly.  
  
If anything would have happened, it would have been REALLY wrong, both morally and physically. A human and a kitten.  
  
Kaiba shook his head again. Then he sighed, faintly. Would he stay like this? That was the question.  
  
Maybe he should have stuck around. Bakura and Malik might have been able to offer some assistance...  
  
... But the way Tristan looked at him. It kind of hurt Kaiba. Just being looked at from such expressionless eyes. The gold-grey eyes that usually held warmth, humor, and compassion even, were empty.  
  
Maybe confusion, but that was it.  
  
Kaiba just had to get out of there, away from that stare.  
  
But even then, he was hurting. It was small pained feeling in his chest. His heart felt hollow, almost. He started cursing himself for running away. He liked Tristan. He liked being with him. He liked the physical contact, he enjoyed the entire ordeal.  
  
He was positive that if someone else had found him and took him in, Kaiba wouldn't have been as happy as he was with Tristan.  
  
"Hello there, kitty..."  
  
Kaiba looked up at the person speaking. Then his eyes widened. It was that same damn kid! The CEO-turned-kitten jumped back to his feet, spinning and landing on all four paws, his back arching, as he glared viciously at the kid.  
  
"Get the hell away from me!" he snarled.  
  
"Such language coming from a kitten..."  
  
Kaiba's eyes widened, again. "You... understand me..?"  
  
"Well, I am the one who changed you."  
  
"... Bastard...!"  
  
".... You're a foul-mouthed little thing, ain't you?"  
  
"Change me back! I just wanna forget this entire thing happened!"  
  
"You've only been a neko for two days..."  
  
"Two hell-filled days!"  
  
The kid smirked, as he knelt down in front of Kaiba, and patted his head. "You know, as well as I do, that 'hell-filled' is definitely not the word you were looking for..." he said, smugly.  
  
Kaiba jerked back, still glaring at him. "Where do you get off thinking you understand me?" he demanded, annoyed.  
  
"Oh, c' mon now, kitty... you liked the concept of relaxing, just taking it easy... have you worried about anything at all while in this state?"  
  
Kaiba frowned, as he looked away. Alright, the kid had a point there. He didn't worry about anything. But now that Kaiba thought about it, this whole thing was making him shirk his responsibilties. Taking care of his brother was his only priority. His corporation being their main income.  
  
Kaiba worked for his brother.  
  
"Kitty?"  
  
Kaiba looked up at the kid, deapan. "Change me back..." he said, quietly.  
  
"Mmmm... why?"  
  
"... I can't ignore my responsibilties... Mokuba is my responsibility... he's all I have... I worked hard to get where I am, and I won't give it up for a few days of relaxing."  
  
The kid stroked his chin, with a wry smile. "Would you give it up for Tristan, though...? That's the thing I want you to think about..."  
  
Kaiba frowned, as he dropped his head, his ears drooping sadly.  
  
"That loneliness of yours, even when I first saw you, you looked like a lonely sad little boy, desperate for a friend..."  
  
"... Shut up."  
  
The kid chuckled, ruefully. "You made acquaintances like this, kitty..." he said, lightly. "You don't consider them your friends, but you did get a little closer to them like this... all because you had a different form, you could act the way you wanted... you opened up because you were different physically, so you allowed yourself to change emotionally."  
  
"Ooh, that was very deep..." Kaiba said, sarcastically. "Change me back!"  
  
The kid sighed, as he stood up, taking a stick from his pocket, "alright then." He smirked, faintly, "you'll be your old self again... Tristan won't be able hold you anymore."  
  
"... Can I ask you a question?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Can you tell me when I gave off the indication that I cared?"  
  
The kid anime sweatdropped, then smiled. "You look so sad when I bring up Tristan's name," he answered.  
  
"... Go to hell," Kaiba hissed, looking away.  
  
"Alas... no more nights in his arms, no more just hearing his voice, no more of his comforting... no more leering at his body..."  
  
Kaiba's face reddened at the last one, so he glared viciously at the kid. "Change me back, now... and stay right where you are, so I can kill you!"  
  
"Hey, I struck a nerve..."  
  
"Change me back."  
  
The kid sighed, then shrugged, tapping his stick in his hand a few times. "Gotta warm it up first," he informed the red-haired kitten. Raising the stick, he murmured more of those inchorent words. And Kaiba was again hit with a bright flash.  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
Kaiba moaned, softly. Then he slowly opened his eyes. He winced, as the strange tingling sensation ran through his body again, as his blood began to circulate. He raised himself up slightly, propping himself up on his elbows. He looked around, eyes flashing with murderous intentions.  
  
But the kid was gone, again.  
  
Growling, he sat up fully, pulling his knee close, resting his arms around it. He dropped his head forward, closing his eyes as he thought. Then very slowly he lifted his head again, holding up his hand. He stared at the palm of his hand for a moment. Then turned his hand, looking at the back of it. Then he started to examine his other hand. His legs, his chest. Relieved to find he was clothed. He then touched his face, gingerly. No longer furry.  
  
Rolling to his side slightly, Kaiba pushed himself up, to a kneeling position, then began to stand up. He shook slightly. He grinned faintly, remembering he was pretty tall. And standing on two feet would take a bit of getting used to.  
  
He blew aside his rust colored hair which hung over his right eye. Then he looked up the street. No cars, no people. Looking down the street, it was just as empty.  
  
"... Weird..." he murmured, softly. There were no witnesses, again.  
  
Kaiba was about to start heading for home. Only to freeze, and pat his ears, slightly. Everything sounded so dull, soft. Kinda faint.  
  
Was his hearing really this bad?  
  
... Well, by feline standards, yes.  
  
Then he started for home, shaking his head along the way. Hoping his ears would pop, or something. No way could his hearing be this bad.  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
Mokuba yawned, as he laid on the sofa, chewing on some pocky, while reading a comic. His math sitting on the coffeetable, almost untouched. Except for a few questions. His notes for History were scattered around the floor, and on the coffeetable. As well as pens, pencils, erasers, and whiteout.  
  
"Please, Mr. Kaiba... please, do some of your homework..." Neil was pleading.  
  
"... I did enough..."  
  
"Please, Mr. Kaiba!" Willy begged. "Your brother would have our heads, if..."  
  
"... You guys are worried over nothing..." Mokuba said, cheerfully. He held out his box of pocky to his bodyguards. "Pocky?" he offered, with a bright smile.  
  
"Uhh, no thanks, sir..." Neil said, waving it away. While Willy brightened, and reached for one. His hand instantly getting slapped by Neil.  
  
Willy glared at Neil, while Neil gave him a scolding look. Then they both turned back to the younger Kaiba.  
  
"Please, Mr. Kaiba... please, do your homework!" they pleaded again, in unison.  
  
"... After I finish this..." Mokuba replied, holding up his comic, for emphasis. Neil and Willy anime sweatdropped.  
  
"You said that about those ones..." Willy said, pointing at a stack of comics sitting on the easy chair.  
  
"... And don't try saying after that box of pocky... you said that about those ones, too..." Neil pointed out, gesturing at a carton of pocky. And it was half-empty. A pile of empty pocky boxes building beside the carton.  
  
"Mokuba.... stop with the pocky..." Clara, a short stocky woman, said, while bustling in the livingroom, as she wiped her hands off on her apron. Then she handed Willy a garbage bag, "you pick up the boxes... and you," she turned to Neil, "pick up the comics."  
  
"Hey, we're bodyguards, not maids..." Willy said, haughtily. Until Clara glared at him, hands resting on her plump hips.  
  
"Excuse me?" she said, peering at him, over her glasses.  
  
Neil gulped, "undo it, undo it..." he grumbled to Willy, hastily.  
  
"Uhhhh... sorry?" Willy mumbled, bowing quickly in apology.  
  
Clara nodded, she then turned to Mokuba. Who was grinning at his bodyguards.  
  
"Man, if you guys can't even stand up to Clara... how'll you deal with kidnappers, and all that?" he teased, then he started to laugh, while Neil and Willy anime sweatdropped.  
  
Clara strolled up to the younger Kaiba, who was laying around so lazily. "Ah, Mr. Mokuba..." she said, in mock sweetness. "How would you like some delicious pepperoni pizza for dinner? Extra cheese."  
  
Mokuba blinked, then smiled, "I'd like that..."  
  
"Mm-hmm... and maybe a rootbeer float...?"  
  
Mokuba's smile broadened, as he started to nod.  
  
"... And perhaps for dessert, a chocolate parfait?"  
  
Mokuba's smile became a grin. "My favorite? Really?" he asked, eagerly.  
  
"Of course, my little darling..." Clara said, giving Mokuba an affecionate pat on the head. "But, to aquire all those, I'll need you to finish your homework... and if you don't finish by dinner, you're getting my cabbage and mushroom casserole..."  
  
Mokuba paled, as he wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Ew, Clara..."  
  
"... That's if you don't finish your homework by dinner..."  
  
"That's called bribery..." Mokuba said, shaking his finger at Clara, disapprovingly. "Wait until Seto hears you've been trying to bribe me... and plus, I can't finish two pages of math, and a 400 word essay in an hour!"  
  
"... That's a pretty sad excuse, little brother."  
  
Mokuba and Clara turned to the doorframe. Eyes widening at the owner of the mansion, Seto Kaiba, smiling faintly, while leaning casually against the doorframe.  
  
"Seto!" Mokuba cheered, as he got up, rushing to his big brother. Throwing his arms around his waist, in a tight hug. "Where've you been!?"  
  
Kaiba smiled fondly at his little brother. Even giving him a small hug back.  
  
Clara watched the older Kaiba, carefully. She'd been in this household for quite a few years. And never had she seen Seto Kaiba so... at ease.  
  
Mokuba looked up at him, "well?"  
  
"... No where... special..." Kaiba said, softly. Clara furrowed her brow, seeing a small twitch of pain cross the young man's handsome features.  
  
Kaiba glanced at the housekeeper, "Clara..."  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
"I trust you've been keeping things in order."  
  
"As well as I could, sir."  
  
Kaiba smiled, faintly, "good." He glared half-heartedly at Mokuba, "so... snacking before meals, and not doing your homework..."  
  
"This is the only time I did it!" Mokuba persisted.  
  
"LIAR!" Neil and Willy hollered from the next room. Mokuba anime sweatdropped, while Clara chuckled into her hand.  
  
Kaiba smirked, "busted."  
  
Mokuba sighed glumly, as he dropped his head forward, in defeat.  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
Kaiba stared up at the ceiling, frowning slightly. His bed didn't seem as comforting as it used to be. He tucked his hands under his head.  
  
Still no good.  
  
Sighing, he rolled over onto his stomach, pulling the pillow closer as he gathered it close. Staring at the solid oak headboard, he grimaced and tried closing his eyes.  
  
Nothing.  
  
With another sigh, he rolled to his side, tucking his arm under his head. Looking out the window, past the thick dark blue curtains, the moon was bright despite it was only a half moon. Kaiba closed his eyes again.  
  
Nada.  
  
He rolled to his other side, staring into the dark room, barely making out his dresser, desk, chair, and bookcase. Light from the hallway was managing to get through, under the door, creating a small line of light. Shadows appeared under the door, in the light; somebody was walking by at the moment.  
  
"Mokuba, go to bed..." Kaiba called.  
  
The shadows stopped. Then hustled away, quickly.  
  
Kaiba smiled, wryly. Then he closed his eyes. It was late. Well, it felt late. He looked at the clock on his bedside table. The hands pointing at 10 and 8. 10:40pm.  
  
Growling, the CEO sat up, then threw himself back, into the pillows. "Go to sleep!" he commanded himself. He squeezed his eyes closed, then grimaced, and sat up.  
  
"Fine... I can't sleep..." he muttered. He ran his hand through his hair, sighing. Then he frowned, "what's the matter?" he asked himself. "You can't sleep because you're alone?"  
  
He shook his head. That was pathetic. He had been sleeping alone for years. Why did it make a difference now? Kaiba laid back down, stretched out. He rolled to his side, pulling his legs up, curling himself into a ball.  
  
... It felt familiar.  
  
He yawned, finally getting sleepy. His eyes closed, "it'd be nice... to be held... though..." he thought, then dozed off.  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
"Seto, wake up!" Mokuba called.  
  
Kaiba grimaced, rolling over, and pulling the blanket over his head. Only to have his shoulder shaken. "C' mon, Seto! Time to get up!"  
  
"... Go away..." Kaiba grunted.  
  
Mokuba anime sweatdropped, "Seto...?"  
  
The lump of blanket shifted slightly. But made no move to actually get up.  
  
"Hey, c' mon... wake up..."  
  
"... I am awake..."  
  
"Get up, Seto..."  
  
"... Hn..."  
  
"Hey, just 'cause you're awake doesn't automatically make you up...!" Mokuba called, tugging at the blanket. Then the younger Kaiba blinked, hearing a very soft sound.  
  
A chuckle.  
  
Mokuba blinked, eyeing Seto, curiously. "What's so funny?"  
  
"... Nothing..." the lump replied.  
  
Mokuba shrugged, then tugged at the blanket, tearing it from Kaiba's grasp. Kaiba curled up tightly at the sudden rush of cold air. Mokuba managed to tug the entire blanket off the bed, and he tossed it aside. Then he was on the bed, jumping up and down.  
  
"C' MON, SETO! TIME TO GET UP! YOU HAVE TO GET UP! NOW GET UP! C' MON, SETO!" he was calling, as he jumped.  
  
Kaiba was still curled up, bouncing along, his eyes squeezed shut.  
  
"... 10 more minutes..." he bargained.  
  
Mokuba anime sweatdropped, then grinned. Whatever was wrong with Seto, it was kinda fun. He jumped off the bed, his hands on his hips.  
  
"You have five... and you better be down for breakfast in ten... so five minutes more sleep, five minutes to get ready... fair?" he haggled.  
  
"... Fair..." Kaiba grunted, yawning. He reached for his bathrobe, pulling it up and covering up with it. Mokuba snickered, and dashed out of the room to the kitchen.  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
Kaiba yawned, as he headed for the bathroom, rubbing his eyes, tiredly. Alright, he cheated and took seven minutes. So now he had three minutes to get ready.  
  
He looked at his reflexion. His hair was a little messy due to the sleep. And maybe with contribution of Mokuba's trying to get him to get up. Kaiba furrowed his brow, in confusion. His complexion seemed a little different. With a shrug, and another yawn, he turned the cold water faucet. Slipping his hands under the water, cupping in the cold water, he leaned down, splashing his face with the water.  
  
He sucked in a quick breath, instantly feeling more awake at the coldness. He washed his face one more time, once again gasping slightly. After that he reached for a towel, and dried his face off. Then reached for his toothbrush, yawning yet again.  
  
Nine hours of sleep just wasn't enough.  
  
While brushing his teeth, Kaiba pondered that. He usually made out fine with just four or five hours of sleep. Sometimes barely any sleep at all. And alright, it did leave him a little... cranky, as Mokuba would put it. But Kaiba made due with it, either way.  
  
Kaiba spit into the sink, and cleaned off the brush, sitting it back in the cup; wiping off his mouth with the back of his hand, he headed back to his room. Straight for the closet, to get his school uniform.  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
"I don't know what you're so eager about, Mokuba..." Clara was saying.  
  
"Trust me, Clara..." Mokuba said, with a knowing smile. "Wherever Seto went to, it made him feel a lot better than usual... so, if he's feeling better, he'll have a big appetite..."  
  
The housekeeper glanced at the plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, and hashbrowns, uncertainly. "But all he has is toast and coffee... it's all he has time for..." she argued, half-heartedly.  
  
"That's when he needs to get to work... he actually tried to sleep in, Clara..." Mokuba whispered, like it was a huge deal.  
  
And when Clara's eyes widened, apparently it was a huge deal.  
  
"Anyways... I'm guessing Seto took a small trip, ya know, without telling anybody... that way no one'd bother him, so he could enjoy a break... so, this is his first morning without stressing, so...?"  
  
"Alright, alright..." Clara said, shaking her head.  
  
Then Kaiba entered the kitchen, "morning..." he greeted.  
  
Mokuba shot his housekeeper an 'I-told-you-so' grin. Then smiled at his older brother, "'morning, Seto..."  
  
"Good morning, sir..." Clara replied, with a polite nod.  
  
"Care for a real breakfast this time, Seto?" Mokuba asked, gesturing at the plate of food sitting on the table. Kaiba pursed his lips, then glanced at his watch. Then to Clara's astonishment, Seto Kaiba shrugged, heading for the table, and sat down.  
  
"... Oh... fork..." he muttered, ready to get back up.  
  
"Got it..." Mokuba said, dashing to his brother, sitting the fork beside the plate.  
  
"Thanks, little brother..."  
  
"No problem," Mokuba replied, brightly.  
  
Clara blinked. Seto Kaiba, her very first charge in this household, was usually a little more hectic and frantic in the mornings. Especially mondays. But now...  
  
"... You finish your report?" Kaiba was asking Mokuba.  
  
Mokuba smiled, "yup..."  
  
"How'd you do?"  
  
"... I think it's good..."  
  
"Your essay on dinosaurs?"  
  
"That's not due until wednesday..."  
  
"... Good... we'll go to the museum this afternoon, then..."  
  
Mokuba grinned, "alright..!"  
  
Clara blinked, again. Then smiled, hopefully whatever had Seto this way would last. At least until the end of the day.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Yasuo: ..... this one seems pretty long...  
  
Nanashi: ... yeah, it kinda does... *anime sweatdrops* oops...  
  
Nanaki: ... *pouts* where's Tristy...?  
  
Nanashi: school's next, so...  
  
Nanaki: oh!!! WAI!!! ^_^  
  
Yasuo: *rolls his eyes* 


	10. Tristan & Seto

Disclaimer: YGO! and its characters don't belong to any of us!!! nope, nope, nope!!!  
  
Warnings: shounen-ai, no like? no read. *blinks* but hey, if you read this far, you must like it just fine, huh? ^^  
  
Nanashi: O.o;;; uh, a regular Sherlock, that one...  
  
Yasuo: thank you *snickers*  
  
Nanaki: *runs around with a broom* ZHOOOOOOOOM!!! ME GO SO FAST! ME GO SO VERY FAST!!! ZHOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!! WAI!!! ^o^  
  
Nanashi: uhhhh... *blinks*  
  
Yasuo: she's been anticipating this moment...  
  
Nanashi: oh... *blinks, then shrugs* oh yeah, thank you very much for the reviews, encouragement, information... heh, oh and sympathy for the death of my hamster... names were just made-up, since I dunno, and, uh... what else was there...? *blinks*  
  
Yasuo: *shrugs*  
  
Nanaki: WAI! WAI! WAI! WAI! WAI! WAI! WAI! WAI!!! ZHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!! *smacks Yasuo with the broom as she 'flies' by*  
  
Yasuo: ACK!!! WATCH IT! *mutters* ... crazy woman driver...  
  
Nanaki: WAI!!! ^__________^  
  
Nanashi: oh yeah! music was really setting things up for me... like the piano thing, just this really pretty piano song came up, really light and soft... romantic-ish... so yeah, that set things for me, and who am I to deny Tristan a talent? ^^()  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Kaiba swallowed, as he stared at the doors of Domino High.  
  
Alright, he was nervous, that part was obvious.  
  
This was school, he came here countless times. So many times and it just became a part of his daily routine: Wake up, come to school, do a little scoolwork, eat lunch, do a little more schoolwork, then head to KaibaCorp. and do some real work.  
  
No way did his routine include: run into Tristan, shuffle feet like a moron, and embarrass the hell out of himself by saying thanks for the hospitality.  
  
Swallowing again, Kaiba took a step forward, pausing, then stepped back again. And grimaced at the fact that was the seventh time he did that. To many of the students passing by, Kaiba looked a little... well, insane. Take a step forward, then step back again, again and again.  
  
Hey, why not skip school? Where was the harm in that? Then Kaiba frowned. That seemed a little cowardly and foolish. Two of the traits Kaiba prided himself in not having.  
  
Alright, this time, Kaiba thought firmly. Then he headed for the doors, trying to keep his posture, and cold demeanor up. And it was at its max, the effort to act like himself was pretty difficult to maintain.  
  
Then he froze, dead in his tracks. He ignored several of the students gasps, as they struggled not to bump into the CEO.  
  
Not that he would notice. Kaiba was too busy staring. It was him. Talking with Joey Wheeler. The CEO's blue eyes widened in something resembling horror. And outright nervousness. He didn't think he would have to face him this soon. Tristan Taylor.  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
"... So yeah, I think some arcade time after school'll get yer mind off whatever's bugging you, Tris'..." Joey was saying, with a wise nod.  
  
Tristan smiled, wryly, "you think so?"  
  
"Yeah... and no declining, or I'll have to pound ya..." Joey said, with a playful smirk. Tristan chuckled, faintly as he nodded in agreement. Didn't sound so bad, a day with Joey.  
  
"... Hey, Kaiba came in..." Joey said, glancing past Tristan. The brunette raised an eyebrow, and glanced over his shoulder.  
  
Sure enough, there stood Seto Kaiba. Tristan smiled faintly, raising his hand in a friendly wave. Then anime sweatdropped, as Kaiba turned and walked briskly back out the door. Tristan blinked, staring after the CEO, confused.  
  
"... What's with him?" Joey asked, just as confused.  
  
Tristan frowned slightly, but never answered. Once the bell rang, Tristan and Joey headed for class, meeting Yugi, Tea, and Ryou along the way.  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
Kaiba was leaning heavily against a treetrunk, throwing his head back several times, while chanting: "Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid...!"  
  
He heard the bell ring. But made no move whatsoever to head to class. Dropping his head forward, Kaiba sighed deeply. Turned tail and fled. That's exactly what he did. And it wasn't even intentional. It just happened, and Kaiba didn't like it.  
  
Great, now two things to explain.  
  
Frowning, Kaiba straightened up, and stalked for the doors. School was on. Tristan was there. Kaiba had to deal with both, sooner or later.  
  
But the question was, with an audience, or without? And did he have a choice in the matter?  
  
Kaiba paused, once he started to reach class. His blue eyes widened, hearing the music of a piano; slowly he peered into the classroom. At the front of the class, was a black grand piano, and sitting at the piano was Tristan, playing a beautiful song.  
  
Standing aside Tristan, was their music teacher, who was smiling in approval. And the rest of the class was staring intently at the brunette. Many of them smiling as they listened.  
  
Kaiba stared in awe. Who knew Tristan knew how to play the piano? It was a slow and light melody. Closing his eyes, the redhead began to listen intently. After a few minutes, the song ended. Tristan then calmly pushed himself away from the piano, bowing his head slightly, as the other students clapped good-naturedly.  
  
"Wonderful, Tristan... thank you for the performance..." Mrs. Breret said, with a smile.  
  
Nodding, Tristan headed for his seat, beside Ryou, who quickly whispered a compliment to the brunette. Tristan smiled, nodding his thanks.  
  
"Now, I'm hoping many of you have been practicing as much as Tristan... that's how I would rather you play at the concert this friday..." Mrs. Breret said, as she looked at her student in mock sterness. Then she noticed Kaiba standing at the door. "Ah, Mr. Kaiba... we missed having your presence..." she said, calmly.  
  
Kaiba swallowed, as he walked into the class, not bothering with a reply as he strided to his seat, left empty since many of his peers had no intention of getting in the CEO's way. Let alone taking his desk.  
  
With a nod, the music teacher went back to her day job. Teaching. "Now, I'd like you all to..."  
  
Kaiba's thoughts soon drowned out Mrs. Breret's lesson. He was staring hard at... nothing in particular. And that 'nothing' happened to be the back of someone's head. Unfortunately, that poor someone was shifting very uncomfortably, feeling a powerful glare boring into his head.  
  
Glaring or not, Kaiba's eyes had a powerful effect.  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
Tristan glanced at Kaiba, who was glaring at the kid in front of him. That poor kid was sweating buckets, and seemed desperate to get out of the glare's path. But Mrs. Breret, a decent teacher and all, was pretty tough with seemingly restless students.  
  
".. Anything wrong?" Ryou asked, softly.  
  
Tristan blinked, turning back to Ryou, confused. Then he forced a smile, "no... everything's fine..."  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"... Kinda, yeah..."  
  
Ryou's brow furrowed in mild concern, "Tristan..."  
  
"... I'm alright, Ryou... don't worry... I'm just thinking..." Tristan assured him, with a cheerful smile.  
  
The smaller boy's brown eyes watched Tristan intently, for any signs that the brunette was lying. Finding nothing, Ryou nodded slightly, "if you say so..." he murmured, slowly. Then he turned back to the teacher, who was going over the history of the lute, for some odd reason.  
  
Tristan glanced back at Kaiba, seeing the kid at the receiving end of Kaiba's glare was slumped over, in immense relief; and the CEO was staring out the window, instead.  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
Once the bell rang again, Kaiba was on his feet, and heading for the door.  
  
"Kaiba..."  
  
Kaiba froze, glancing over his shoulder. His heart suddenly seemed hollow. Tristan was standing there, watching him carefully. Resisting the urge to leave, Kaiba turned to face the brunette fully.  
  
"... What?" he asked, relief setting in since his voice didn't crack.  
  
"... Can I talk to you?"  
  
"... About?" Kaiba muttered, as he shifted his weight uncomfortably, while Tristan walked up to him, watching him closely. The rest of the class hustled to leave, since there seemed to be some major tension in the air. And they all managed to avoid physical contact with Kaiba.  
  
"... About yesterday..." Tristan answered, softly. The class now empty except for the two of them.  
  
"... I don't..." Kaiba started to say.  
  
"Tristan?"  
  
Kaiba sighed in relief, as Tristan glanced at Ryou, who just peered back into the class. "Yeah?" Tristan asked.  
  
Ryou raised an eyebrow, "are you coming?"  
  
"... I'll meet you guys in a few minutes..."  
  
Ryou glanced at Kaiba, then back at Tristan with a faint smile, and with a small nod he walked back out the door. Tristan smiled wryly, as he turned back to Kaiba.  
  
"So..."  
  
"... Since when could you play the piano?" Kaiba asked.  
  
Tristan blinked. Well, that was unexpected. Then he shrugged, "my sister taught me a few things..."  
  
"... Oh."  
  
"Kaiba..."  
  
"... How old is she?"  
  
Tristan blinked, again. "What?" he asked, slowly.  
  
"How old is your sister?"  
  
"... Uh, 24..."  
  
"Her name?"  
  
"... Hitomi..."[1]  
  
"... You and her the only kids?"  
  
Tristan frowned, slightly. "Kaiba, knock it off," he said, shortly.  
  
Kaiba frowned back, "what?"  
  
"I just wanna talk, alright?"  
  
"... We were having a conversation..."  
  
"About a topic that I have no interest in..."  
  
"Well, I do..."  
  
Tristan raised an eyebrow, again. "You hold an interest in my sister?"  
  
Kaiba scowled, "of course not..."  
  
"Good, then let's not talk about her..."  
  
Kaiba looked away, sighing slightly. Trying not to fidget was pretty hard to accomplish for the CEO, especially in this sort of situation.  
  
"... You're okay?"  
  
Kaiba glanced at Tristan, "what?"  
  
Tristan's face showed mild concern as he looked over Kaiba; from the feet up, causing the CEO to feel a surge of embarrassment. Tristan then smiled faintly, "you seem to be okay... didn't get hit by a car or anything, I hope..."  
  
Kaiba shrugged, "I'm fine... I was on the right side of the street," he mumbled. Then felt his ears grow warmer, as Tristan chuckled softly.  
  
"... That's a relief... I was worried..." he said, sincerely.  
  
"... I don't need anyone worrying about me."  
  
"Well, too bad, you have one."  
  
Kaiba shifted his gaze back to Tristan, "I guess I should offer my thanks..."  
  
Tristan shrugged, "don't have to... I didn't mind..." He grinned, "you were a cute pet to have."  
  
Kaiba felt a flush creep into his cheeks, as he looked away again, huffily. "Cute is not the word I would use to describe a ball of fur..."  
  
"... You do know you're just insulting yourself."  
  
"It wasn't the real me, so it doesn't matter."  
  
Tristan leaned against the wall, tilting his head. "About that... what happened, exactly?"  
  
Kaiba shrugged.  
  
Tristan pursed his lips. "You really shouldn't be so open with your thoughts, y' know..." he said, dryly. Kaiba glanced at him again, and smirked faintly.  
  
"... Funny... I was about to say the same to you."  
  
Tristan smirked, causing Kaiba's heart to race, slightly. The brunette shrugged, "so how much teasing will I have to tolerate...?"  
  
"... What?"  
  
"... My whole talking to animals habit..."  
  
"Oh..."  
  
"Well?"  
  
"... There's no teasing..."  
  
Tristan raised an eyebrow, "why not?"  
  
"... I'm not like that mongrel..." Kaiba mumbled, referring to Tristan's best friend.  
  
He laughed, "yeah, I guess not."  
  
"... I didn't mind your talking, Tristan... it was better than being ignored," Kaiba informed Tristan. Then felt embarrassed as the brunette smiled at him. "What?" he mumbled.  
  
"... Just never heard you say my name before..."  
  
"... And that impresses you?"  
  
"... You're usually on the last-name basis with everyone..."  
  
Kaiba frowned, "I can't exactly be on the last-name basis with someone who took me in..." he said, in a somewhat gruff tone.  
  
Tristan smiled, "hm."  
  
"... Are we done here?" the redhead asked, turning back to Tristan, trying to sound annoyed.  
  
"Not really."  
  
"Well, tell me what y-...?" Kaiba started to demand...  
  
"... I miss you."  
  
Kaiba's heart pounded harder, as he stared at the brunette, stunned. Tristan's face was serious and sincere, his eyes gazing into Kaiba's. Swallowing, Kaiba looked away, frowning.  
  
"... Meaning?" he muttered, his face growing warmer by the second.  
  
Tristan smiled, faintly. "I thought that was pretty straightforward..."  
  
"............"  
  
"... I miss you, Red."  
  
Kaiba blushed slightly, at his newly acquired nickname. He turned back to Tristan, absently marvelling at the honesty in his gold-grey eyes.  
  
"... It's only been one night," he muttered, softly.  
  
Tristan shrugged, "call me crazy, but I couldn't sleep without you there..."  
  
Kaiba felt a rush of triumphant relief. "Same," he admitted quietly, as he rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a little awkward at his sudden sincerity.  
  
Tristan's eyes widened slightly, noticing a blue band around Kaiba's wrist. Then he reached over, grabbing Kaiba's hand, to inspect the band, curiously.  
  
Kaiba blinked, confused. Then fidgeted, as Tristan examined his momento.  
  
A collar. A kitten's collar to be precise.  
  
Tristan smiled, "cute." It was a little hard to imagine the collar that once fit around Kaiba's neck, could now only be worn on his wrist.  
  
Kaiba bristled, "stop saying that..."  
  
"What? 'Cute'?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"... Fine... kawaii..."  
  
Kaiba glared at Tristan, "that's the same thing!"  
  
"You don't like being considered cute...?" Tristan asked, innocently.  
  
"No, I don't... now stop saying it."  
  
"What about... Hot? Sexy? Seductive? Bishounen?" Tristan offered, smiling playfully. Kaiba felt his face grow warm again, as he looked away.  
  
"Hey..." Tristan protested.  
  
"... What?" the CEO mumbled.  
  
"... Look at me."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"C' mon, Red... look at me," Tristan coaxed, still holding Kaiba's hand. Kaiba frowned, as he turned back to Tristan. Only to get a kiss. Blue eyes widened in shock, then closed slowly, as the brunette slid his hand behind Kaiba's neck, holding him close as he kissed him deeply.  
  
Parting slowly, Tristan smiled as Kaiba slowly opened his eyes again. The CEO swallowed, as he stared at Tristan, in slight shock.  
  
"... Anything wrong?" Tristan asked softly, gently playing with Kaiba's rust-colored hair.  
  
Kaiba shook his head, "not a thing..."  
  
"... So, the collar means you're still mine?"  
  
"... Yeah."  
  
Tristan smiled. And Kaiba smiled back.  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
The cellphone ran again. Seto growled fiercely, as he held it up, glaring viciously at it. Pulling his arm back, he made a move to throw it, until Tristan grabbed his wrist, taking the phone.  
  
"Allow me..." he said, simply. Seto blinked, as Tristan turned the phone on, holding it to his ear.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Mr. Kaiba...?" Greta asked, slowly.  
  
"... No, this is Hiroto... can I help you?" Tristan asked, innocently.  
  
"... This isn't Mr. Kaiba's cellular phone?"  
  
"No, ma'am... this is Hiroto's cellular phone... now, can I help you?"  
  
"... I'm sorry... wrong number," Greta mumbled, and hung up. Tristan snickered, as he turned off the cell. Seto smirked, holding out his hand, ready to take back his cell.  
  
Tristan calmly slid the cell in the pocket of his jeans, "I'll hold onto it, Red... you're with me to relax, not deal with whiny complaints and other stress-inducers..."  
  
Seto shrugged, "if you insist..."  
  
Tristan nodded, as he laid back down in the lush green grass, yawning. Seto blinked, leaning against the tree trunk, while staring at Tristan. "How do you do that?"  
  
The brunette smiled lazily, "hm? what?"  
  
"... You have any cares at all...?"  
  
"... Yeah... my mom, my dad, Hitomi, Toyo[2], you, Blankey..."  
  
"Oh yay... I rank just one higher than your dog..." Seto said, sarcastically. Blankey trotted up to the pair, panting happily.  
  
Seto glared at the dog, "don't go thinking you're better than me just because..." he started to hiss. Only to get a large pink tongue licking the side of his face. The CEO wiped off the dog drool on his sleeve, ignoring Tristan's laughing.  
  
"THAT DOES IT!!!" Seto shouted. Blankey barked, and darted away. Seto was on his feet, chasing the dog, "GET BACK HERE! RIGHT NOW! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU...!?"  
  
Tristan smiled, watching Seto running around, not a care in the world. And he wanted to keep it this way. Seto was perfect like this. Even moreso.  
  
Then the familiar chime of the cell rang again. For Seto, it went unnoticed. Still smiling, Tristan answered it.  
  
"Hello, Hiroto speaking..."  
  
"What the...!? Are you sure this isn't Mr. Kaiba's cell!?" Greta demanded.  
  
"Pretty sure..." Tristan answered, dryly.  
  
Greta growled, and hung up. Tristan chuckled, and sat the cell aside, and went back to watching Seto and Blankey run around; The CEO threatening the dog, and the dog barking at the CEO playfully.  
  
Deja vu or not, it all seemed right, either way.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
[1] where'd I hear that name...? uhhhhh... O.o() oh!!! Vision of Escaflowne!!! or whatever... yeah ^_^ I liked that show... er, but yeah, not mine? heh, never know ^^()  
  
[2] bad pun... not on my part, got it from a friend. Hiroto Honda has a nephew named Toyo(ta) Honda... yeah v.v() told you it was a bad pun...  
  
~~~***~~~  
  
Nanaki: *whines* one kiss!?!?!?  
  
Yasuo: ... I like it... not too bad...  
  
Nanashi: you flatter me..? I think...  
  
Nanaki: more kisses!?!?!?  
  
Nanashi: heh... uhhhh... I'll consider an epilogue, how's that?  
  
Yasuo: *shrugs* don't matter to me...  
  
Nanaki: *pouts* oh, alright... *sighs* but, wai! it was so very cute!!! ^_____^  
  
Yasuo: moodswings... are scary things...  
  
Nanashi: Yasuo was a poet, he didn't know it...  
  
Yasuo: *anime sweatdrops*  
  
Nanaki: *laugh hysterically*  
  
Nanashi: ^_^ 


End file.
